FUMING Heybridge Swifts manager Keith Wilson revealed he was 'embarrassed' by his team's performance as they surrendered a two-goal lead to lose 4-2 at home to Brentwood Town on Tuesday night.
Swifts were two-up inside seven minutes of the Robert Dyas League Cup first round clash but that was as good as it got for the hosts as Brentwood grabbed one back before the break and netted three more in a dominant second-half display.
Wilson used the cup clash to give fringe players and young prospects a chance to stake a claim for a first team place, but afterwards said he wished he hadn't done so.
"I'm embarrassed to be the manager of a team that has put in a performance like that," said Wilson. "Just before kick-off he [Brentwood boss Adam Flanagan] said to me 'I wasn't even going to come tonight', so that show's the level of interest they had in it.
"First 15 minutes I thought we were excellent, went 2-0 up and were comfortable and then we just got totally outplayed and outbattled. I'm embarrassed for the players.
"I'm ruing my decision to rest players and give people a chance. I should have picked the same starting XI that played Saturday to keep the momentum going. We seem to go one step forward and this is a massive two steps back.
"It's also told me that the depth of the squad I thought we had is nowhere near. People who moan at you that they're not in the squad go and perform like that.
"That's where I'm too nice. I've given them the opportunity tonight to stake a claim for Saturday and they've served up a performance like that.
"I'll take the praise when we win and I'll take the flack and criticism when we get beaten because I'm the manager, but I can't take defend that, they have to take full responsibility."
Wilson gave the three players he signed before Saturday's 2-1 win against Cray Wanderers, Joe Pearman, Ryan McFarlane and Charlie Gregory starts, with the latter scoring the first and setting up the second.
However, he said Nikki Beale, McFarlane and U21 player Frankie Hession-Harris were the only players to come out with any credit.
"I thought our best player by a country mile was Frankie from the U21s," he said. "Some of them weren't in the 16 for last Saturday and they perform like that.
"Second half we had our first shot in the 88th minute, which is farcical.
"I'm not a ranter and a raver, throwing tea cups about, it's not in my nature, but tonight I wish it was. I wish I'd got a couple of them up against the wall, but that's not me."
