‘Worst ever performance’

And he was sure to let his men know what he thought.

He told the Guardian: “Saturday was horrendous, probably the worst performance I’ve had from a team in my life.”

“Three goals in quick succession tore us apart.”

“We made some mistakes, looked a little tired, but we did not play well.”

“They’ve had a lot of stick from me on Saturday and at training on Monday, so to come to Stocksbridge and have the guts to win is important.”

He wasn’t altogether happy on Tuesday night either, despite taking three points from Stocksbridge in a 5-4 win, highlighting an inability to defend balls into the box.

“Where do we go from here with defending crosses? Do I need to stand on the corner flag and put cross after cross in? That’s a bit Under 10s, learning where to stand.”

“We’ve got to be harder to beat. Sometimes it’s too easy.”