Garry Haylock hopes a 5-0 battering at the hands of Chelmsford will prove a wake-up call to his Hayes & Yeading players ahead of this weekend’s clash with Truro City.
The United manager was shocked by his team’s performance against the Clarets as the hosts failed to regain their focus after Devante McKain was sent off in the first half at York Road.
Boss Haylock, who was planning to make a few changes for tonight's Middlesex Senior Cup tie with Hampton & Richmond, admitted his boys were second best throughout.
He said: “If that doesn’t give the players a wake-up call then we’ve got some problems. We didn’t play well at all and we deserved nothing. Some things went wrong in the game and we just didn’t cope with them. Things are going to happen and we need to deal with them.
“Sometimes you can re-group after a sending off. The reaction was disappointing and the score could have been worse to be honest. Dan Lincoln pulled off some fantastic saves, including keeping out a late penalty, so it could have been more.
“It’s good to get back on the horse. There will be a reaction. I wasn’t here but we’ve already been down to Truro and beaten them 2-0 this season. It’s better than us having to go all that way down there, but a game is a game and we need a response. If you get beaten 5-0 at home you would expect some changes.”
Haylock did not use McKain’s dismissal for two bookable offences as an excuse for the crushing 5-0 loss.
The 21-year-old may still be a relatively young footballer, but his manager could not understand why he made a reckless challenge that saw yellow turn to red.
He added: “Devante has played for Gillingham and Maidenhead so he’s not an inexperienced player but he’s still only a young player. I think he’ll learn from it.
“He got a yellow card for handball which should never have been a booking, but then he made a silly lunge and gets another.
“You can say the decision to give him the first booking was unjustified, but he then made the decision to make that lunge, so you can’t blame the referee for that.”
Meanwhile, Northwood played out a goalless draw with Aylesbury in the Southern League Division One Central on Saturday. Wayne Carter struck twice to fire Uxbridge to a 2-2 draw with Aylesbury United.
AFC Hayes were also involved in a 2-2 stalemate in the Combined Counties Premier at the weekend as they were held at home to Chertsey Town.
