With boss Neil Thompson leaving the club on Friday, assistant manager Ray McHale took charge of the Scarborough team for their Conference clash against Nuneaton and was brutally honest after another home defeat.

"Some of the players have made it clear that that do not want to play for this club, but I was pleased that we gave the fans something to cheer about in the second half," he said.

It says much about previous performan-ces that the fans stayed behind to applaud the players as they left the pitch, as the team had at least produced some danger to the visitors' goal in the second half.

In fact it took a superb effort by the highly rated Marc McGregor to seal Nuneaton's 2-1 win, when he rifled in a shot 15 minutes from time.

Scarborough had been outplayed in the first half, with Lee Charles pulling defenders all over the pitch. Boro 'keeper Andy Woods made three excellent saves and other opportunities were spurned, while at the other end, Aron Wilford squandered a decent chance.

Substitute Steve Whitehall dived to head in Nuneaton's opener, but within a minute Darryn Stamp bustled his way through to lash in the leveller.

This gave the fans some hope, as in other home games Scarborough's resolve had crumbled in the face of adversity.

Indeed with Steve Brodie testing Chris Mackenzie on two occasions and Romain Faure hitting the bar with a header, Scarborough went tantalisingly close to getting a winner which would have taught Nuneaton not to be so profligate with their chances in future.

As far as the future for Scarborough is concerned, the new man in charge, who is expected to give his decision on an offer which has already been made, faces a huge task to get together a competitive side on the pitch - and then to get out of the relegation spot they hold at the moment.

Chris Short and Jamie Burt have already left the club and there more transfer requests are likely to be made this week.

With cash at a premium, Steve Brodie will be allowed to join former boss Colin Addison at Swansea on loan if talks can be finalised, while at the McCain Stadium a long hard winter looks probable.

Scarborough: Woods, Atkinson, Faure, Rennison, Fitzsimmons; Blunt, Pounder, Ingram; Wilford (Turley 46), Brodie.

Nuneaton: Mackenzie, Thackeray, Angus, Williams, Love; Peyton, Lavery, Crowley, Sykes; Charles (McGregor 71), Leadbeater (Whitehall 46).

Referee: A Nicholson (Halifax).

Attendance: 890.

Updated: 12:01 Monday, September 24, 2001