CHELMSFORD City's three game winning run came to an end as they lost 2-1 at Hayes & Yeading in the Conference South on Saturday.
The victory was the home side's first league win since September as goals from Gary MacDonald and Isaac Layne put Hayes & Yeading 2-0.
Lee Swayer won and converted a penalty just before half-time but despite creating the better chances after the break they were unable to leave Maidenhead United's York Road ground with a point.
City manager Mark Hawkes named an unchanged side from the one that beat Eastbourne Borough 3-2 the previous Saturday.
Attacking up the slope in the first half the Clarets started brighter, but found themselves behind on 13 minutes after MacDonald curled in an unstoppable free-kick.
Mark Hughes was adjudged to have committed a foul on the edge of the area MacDonald found the to corner, giving City keeper Bradley Watkins no chance.
Jason Williams stung the palms of home keeper Grant Smith as City set about finding a leveller.
They had a strong penalty appeal turned down, after Joe Ward went down in the area, but their task was made twice as difficult on 27 minutes whenas Isaac Layne doubled Hayes' lead.
Despite being under pressure from Yado Mambo, Layne managed to get a shot away which took a wicked deflection to deceive the already committed Watkins and find the bottom corner.
City looked to hit back and Ward's free-kick beat Smith but couldn't be converted at the far post by Mambo and Marvin Ekpiteta who were closing in.
Williams should have done better after a long ball from Leon Redwood saw him get the wrong side of the Hayes back line, but after cutting inside onto his right foot his effort was deflected wide.
On 42 minutes City managed to get a foothold in the game when Sawyer was brought down in the penalty area by Greg Morgan. He got up to calmly slot home Chelmsford's 11th penalty of the season to make it 2-1.
City came out for the second half looking lively and to level early and they created two chances when Rohdell Gordon's strike was blocked wide for a corner and Michael Cheek's header narrowly missed the far post.
Hayes had their own penalty shout when Redwood bundled over Greg Morgan in the area but referee Timothy Wood waved away the home side's appeals.
City continued to press and create the best chances in front of goal and Hughes was guilty of heading over from point-blank-range after a deep corner.
Then after Cheek had seen his effort deflected wide, another deep corner was headed back to Hughes whose volley was brilliantly tipped over by Smith.
City continued to press with Williams flicking a near-post volley over and Sawyer's low effort from a cleared corner failing to test Smith.
With time running out the Clarets kept the pressure on the Hayes goal but were unable to find the equaliser.
Williams' half-vollyed just wide of the post and deep into stoppage time the striker was unable to get his header under the crossbar as the Clarets fell to their first defeat in the league for more than a month.
