Big characters are needed for the survival scrap now the glamour of the FA Cup has been and gone according to Wealdstone skipper Wes Parker.

Stones enjoyed their 15 minutes of fame in the famous old trophy this season before bowing out to League One Colchester on Saturday.

Such was the publicity generated, Football Focus were in town before the clash with the U's, so the contrast with this Saturday's league trip to fellow National South strugglers St Albans could hardly be greater.

Hence the rallying cry from defensive stalwart Parker, who knows it is one thing to be up for the glamour of the cup, but quite another to address the mindset back to the everyday slog of preserving league status.

"We will learn a lot about the players over the next couple of weeks in terms of their character," he said.

"The big FA Cup carrot is no longer there now, so it about the players' characters. Next week we go to St Albans and there are very big games coming up and we need to pick up very quickly again.

"Colchester for me was a massive bonus, huge for the club and the fans enjoyed the day despite the result, but the bread and butter is the league and we are still in a relegation battle.

"You could argue the St Albans is a lot more important than Colchester, where we weren't expected to win, even though we thought we could, so there was no pressure - Saturday is different."

In pictures: Wealdstone's defeat to Colchester

The Colchester defeat aside, Stones' form has been on the up, meaning they head to Clarence Park on a seven-game unbeaten run.

Scoring two goals in the cup defeat will also be an encouragement for a team who have generally struggled to find the net this season.

So Parker knows the onus is on him and his fellow members of the rearguard to get back to the Scrooge-like defending they have become renowned for.

"Shaun (Lucien), Jefferson ( Louis) and (Hudson-Odoi) have shown on their day they can tear teams apart and for parts of Saturday they had Colchester reeling," he added.

"We were just not as solid defensively as we should have been which was disappointing.

"Ever since I have been at the club we have prided ourselves on being solid at the back and nicking one.

"We are starting to get the right balance now which is promising. It was a very tough start to the season, but everything is starting to click - we just have to go again now."