It was a horrible way for the Blues to lose on Saturday afternoon but the measure of a good team is the way they react, and that’s no different for United as the focus changes to the weekend home game against Sutton.
“There were some really strong performances on Saturday for 88 minutes and we have to make sure that continues,” boss Paul Simpson told us.
“It’s maybe a really good learning experience for us, that we’ve got to learn to regroup when you make mistakes like we did, come together and be stronger. We weren’t, we allowed then to get a second goal, which made it all feel even worse.
“The thing we’ve done well this season is we’ve moved on. Once a game’s gone, whether it be a defeat, draw or win, we’ve moved on to deal with the next one.
“The next one is a really good game at home. I am really disappointed that we’re out of the FA Cup, I wanted to be in it, to keep going.
“We’re not because of our own doing and we’ve got to make sure we dust ourselves down and we’re ready to go again next weekend.”
“We’re all hurting so it will certainly hurt the players,” he continued. “In football the test is always can you bounce back when you’re feeling this way. That’s where our next challenge comes.
“We have to show a resilience, which we have shown over the whole of the season, to make sure we do bounce back.
"As usual we will make sure we review the game just gone. I don’t think it’s going to take a massive review to work out where we cost ourselves. We know what’s happened.
“Unfortunately we haven’t finished the game well. We’re shouting on at them to get themselves together. I don’t like the reaction from the first goal when people have got head in hands and not watching the game.
“There’s no point showing the whole world you’ve made a mistake, we all know it’s happened, the only thing you can do is dust yourself down and get ready for the next one.
“Now between games we have to do that again. We’ve got to lift each other, get each other going, and make sure this cup game isn’t the be all and end all of our season.
“It would have been nice in terms of the finances we could have got, and that’s where I’m frustrated that we’ve thrown that away. Up until 88 we’d finished them and should have been more clinical to finish it off, then a mistake could have been covered up.”
As for players finding it within themselves, he commented: “I’ll be honest, I don’t actually care what they use as fuel. You shouldn’t need hurt.
“You should have a desire, they’ve shown a desire all season, so this is a big disappointment. We wanted to be in the draw for the third round, there’s an excitement that goes with it. Now there’s a big anti-climax feel that we’ve thrown it away.
“Tomas knows he has to pick himself up. There’s no two ways about it. He can’t change it. He’s just got to show a strength of character now. That’s up to us to make sure he comes back stronger.
“We’ll always look after all of our players, whatever the situation. There’s no hiding place, itt is a really bad mistake.
“I feel for Tomas, he’s apologised to everybody because they’re all unhappy about it, he’s unhappy about it, I am, so it’s about moving on now.
“Tomas has kept us in games and made saves so far this season and I thought he looked really comfortable again.
“As a team we looked really comfortable until the 88th minute. We just haven’t dealt with the end properly.”
