HEYBRIDGE Swifts boss Keith Wilson bemoaned a poor first half display during his team's 3-2 defeat to AFC Sudbury on Tuesday night.
Neil Richmond's brace for Swifts were not enough as Ryan Hervel, Aryton Coley and James Baker gave the visitors all three Ryman One North at Scraley Road.
Wilson said: "Being honest I think they totally dominated us in the first half and we were lucky to be at 1-1 with a minute to go in that first 45. We didn't really have anything about us, but in the second half the players gave me everything that I asked of them.
"It wasn't scintillating going forward but we have worked hard and hit the woodwork twice, so we just aren't getting that rub of the green at the moment. But we can't turn up for 45 minutes and we have lost the game purely on the first half performance.
The second 45 minutes were much-improved by Swifts, with Wilson admitting that there were some frank words said at half-time.
He said: "I try and get my point across in an intellectual way, I asked them if they thought they had worked hard enough in the first half and they said no. You get out of it what you put in and in the first half we didn't put anything in. We had a go second half and it just wasn't quite enough."
Swifts are now 19th in the league and travel to Wilson's former club Burnham Ramblers on Saturday.
Wilson appreciates just how much of an important game that will be, but urges his players to overcome their recent misfortunes.
He added: "Saturday is massive but I have said to them that we have to play the match and not the occasion. We need the three points as nine from 27 doesn't take a genius to work out it's not very good. We need to make sure it becomes 12 from 30 on Saturday."
