Yeovil Town captain Josh Staunton said the club’s exit from the FA Cup at the hands of Taunton Town had to be “a wake-up call”.
He admitted there was “an air of negativity” in the dressing room which was “crippling” the squad, but he said the 300 travelling supporters were within their rights to boo the team off the pitch at the final whistle.
He said: “We have let them down. As a group of men we have not delivered a performance that a club or our stature deserved and that falls on the players.
”Those scenes at the end are a wake up call, that hurts me as captain of that team and trust me you will not find anyone more disappointed than me over these last two games.
“We need to be inspired to do something and when chances fall our way, we have to be the ones who want to make a difference.
”That is how you turn a season around, one bit of passion or heart to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and be the one to make a difference, at the moment we look like we are passing the buck.”
Manager Chris Hargreaves cited the inexperience of some of his side’s younger player saying that the occasion of the Cup tie may have got to some players.
Asked about the response to going behind to a first half penalty from Taunton’s Lloyd James, Staunton said that was the moment his team-mates had to react positively.
He said: “That is where you either become a player who has some longevity in your career and you want to make a difference, or you find it hard to galvanise yourself and go in to your shell.
”As soon as we concede a goal at the moment, it seems like we are climbing a mountain and it all comes down to belief and confidence and when things are not going your way you have to find that yourself.“
The captain concluded that there now needed to be a response as the team travels to Oldham Athletic on Saturday looking to their 17th place position in the National League.
Staunton said: “It is a test of resilience. You can either lay down and be someone who lets the game pass by or be someone who will stand up and say ‘this is it, this is our turning point.’
”This has got to be the rock bottom that we bounce back up from. It is now a case of galvanising the group, picking them up for Saturday and being the one who leads the group by putting your shoulders back and taking the responsibility and criticism.”