'Defeat really hurt and individual errors not good enough,' says Whaley

Wisbech Town manager Brett Whaley said defeat at lower league Haverhill Rovers in the FA Cup yesterday 'really hurt'.

After witnessing a calamitous defensive display , he told the Citizen: "It really hurts today as this was an opportunity to kick start our season and we should never have lost. We had good away support and it will hurt them more because they are Wisbech Town through and through and they love this football club.

"I get it that they are young lads and they will make mistakes but they have got to do more, they have got to fight more and work as hard as the opposition. It's not all on the players. Me and Lenny (assistant manager Chris Lenton) have got to get it right too.

"We have got to get back to working on stopping the opposition scoring, and then look up the pitch. We play good football but that does not matter when you lose 4-3. We have great potential but that does not win you matches.

"This is a really bad result. You look at it today and there is so much to work on. We need to look them in the eyes and ask them if they are up for the fight.

"Everyone at the football club will feel frustration at today. We have worked on these things for weeks and it is still happening. So people will say the players are not good enough, but I don't want a conveyor belt of players as happened last year.

"I have worked with these through pre-season and I want them to do what I am asking them to do. If they cannot, then I will have to replace some of them but I don't want to rip it up and start again after one game.

"I believe if you work with young players week in, week out and drill them, they will get it. And the boys that don't get it, we will change.

"The reality is you cannot make the individual errors we made and give away the goals we gave away. Their first goal, no-one put in a tackle and we let him have too long on the ball.

"The second goal is scored when a throw-in finds a player in the middle of our penalty area who is not being marked.

"In the second half we actually played well and got the ball into wide areas and stretched them. We get a second goal which we fully deserved and anyone in the ground would think we would go on and win the game.

"But one big kick, two bad decisions, a corner and a player heads it in unmarked from three yards out. Every bit of momentum we had built was then thrown away. The fourth goal was a good free kick but it was a poor error leading up to it. You get nothing given to you in the league we are about to play in and today we have given four goals away.

"We have spoken to the players and asked them to give their opinions. They are saying the preparation and information is good, so it is down to individual errors.

"There have been some harsh words said about each other but that is needed because if people are not doing what they should, it needs to be said. We need to attack as a team and defend as a team but they are bickering about who scored and who let goals in. We need to come together.

"We were on top at 2-2 and they were tiring but we are not game-smart.

"In that second half we had the ball in their half for 70% of the game and I always say if you do that you will probably win, but every time we gave the ball away, they looked like scoring, from their defensive third even. And if you are that open, it is unforgivable."