Ady Pennock held an open floor meeting with his players and staff following defeat at Hadley this weekend

Frustration following the mid-week draw against Burgess Hill Town, was followed by a 2-1 defeat at Hadley in the FA Trophy.

It was a performance that saw the manager keep the players behind after the match for an honest discussion about where the team are and what he expects.

He said: “I never sugarcoat anything. It wasn’t good enough and that is my honest assessment. I want players to play for the shirt. That was one of the first times I’ve not seen some of the players put in what I expect.

“The effort was there, but we were poor. It wasn’t good enough from one of my teams.

“We train on certain things, but when they get over the line, it’s down to them. And I didn’t see what I expect. We only had one shot all game and that’s one of the first times I can say that.

“We had a good chat after the game. It was an open floor. I said what I thought and I let them all speak and they gave their opinions. There was no shouting, but we all took things on board and we will see an improvement on Saturday.”

Ady and the team travel to Brentwood Town on Saturday – to a side that is top of the table with six straight wins in the league.

But after injuries and suspensions, the manager is now happy to be getting bodies back and players match fit after weeks out. He has also added midfielder Jacob Bland to the squad.

He added: “I want a reaction and a better performance. We should really have another nine points, but we have let leads or games slip.

“Now, I want us to bounce back and put in a proper performance against a team that is flying.

“I know we will turn it round. But this week, I want to see energy and players that want the ball. The players know they will need to up the intensity that we have seen in the past few games, but if we can do that, it will be a cracking game.”