IT will be an anxious Christmas at The Meadow after Chesham United lost their third game in a week on Saturday.

The Generals lost 2-0 at home to Gloucester City, a side level on points with them at kick-off, and as a result slip to within one place and two points of the Southern League Premier Division.

It comes on the back of defeats to Salisbury and Bedford and leaves Chesham winless in six games since Dennis Greene took over back in October.

His first game in charge was also a 2-0 home defeat to struggling opposition but while his team remain a work in progress Greene can at least take heart that Saturday's team was a considerable improvement on the one which rolled over against Eversham.

Greene said: "We were a team full of defectors that day. Just about every player that played in that game has left the club. It was a team with no heart but today the team had heart. They want to be at the club and they want to progress."

Certainly going forward United appeared cohesive and on another day Leon Callender, finally back to his best after a long injury lay-off, would have had a hat-trick in both goals and assists.

Linking well with captain Chris Herron and Anton Smith, until the latter faded dramatically in the second half, Callender's pace and directness was a constant thorn in Gloucester's side.

Four times in the first quarter hour the striker provided the cutting edge of purposeful Chesham attacks. In the first minute his whipped cross from the byline was scrambled clear at the near post, five minutes later he cut inside and drove a cross-come-shot towards the back post. Smith's head deflected it over.

Another burst beyond the defence and low ball inside found Darryl Wilson, but the striker hesitated and the ball was cleared.

It was against the run of play then, when Gloucester went in front, Luke Corbbett scoring from the spot after a dubious penalty for a high boot.

Gloucester had earlier threatened with Lydon Tomkins' close-range header from a corner. Paul McCarthy in the Chesham goal palmed his effort away and that had been McCarthy's only notable involvement before picking the ball out his net.

It remained that way to the break, with Chesham again on the front foot and threatening through Challinor, first with a volley fizzed over the bar from Herron's free-kick and then with an angled drive just high after catching up with another Herron pass.

Derek Payne's hit a piledriver just wide after 47 minutes and that should have got the hosts going again in the second period, but with nothing to show for their efforts and more than six winless weeks behind them, Chesham's self-belief began to erode. Influential players like Herron and Smith drifted to the periphery, neat passing moves fizzled out and Callender was an increasingly isolated presence in attack.

Finally, after 70 minutes their fate was sealed when Gloucester got their second. Rob Bixby, having moments earlier squandered a half-chance in the opposition's box, was out-jumped in his own area and Corbbett's looping header dropped over McCarthy's outstretched hand.

Greene said: "It's a really big month for us. We need to get some results and fast. Losing is a very big setback for us today but I thought we deserved something out the game. We showed a lot of improvement on recent weeks.

"But we knew it was going to be long process. We've got the patience and belief. I hope the supporters have."

In Division One West, Marlow enjoyed a 1-0 win over top-of-the-table Clevedon on Saturday.

After chances for Tom Jacobs and Scott Hendy, Marlow could have opened the scoring through Adam Dickens but he headed over the bar.

Marlow wrapped up the points in the second half when Jack Smillie scored on 64 minutes as Marlow completed the double over Clevedon.

In the same division, Thame's match on Sunday at home to Bromsgrove was postponed due to a frozen pitch.

In Ryman League Division Two, Chalfont recorded their fourth win on the trot with a 1-0 win over Hertford Town.

Danny Edwards made an inspired late substitution for the Saints, throwing on Lee Croxford and he scored moments later to give Chalfont all three points.

Flackwell went second on goal difference after they were held 1-1 at Dorking. Craig Duffell opened the scoring for the hosts but Flackwell hit back with 20 minutes to go thanks to Danny Burnell's equaliser.