York City manager Gary Mills insisted all of his players should be disappointed with their performances after being dumped out of the FA Trophy.
Part-timers Boston United won 1-0 in Saturday’s first round tie at Bootham Crescent following a 30th-minute goal from striker Spencer Weir-Daley.
The Minstermen controlled large periods of the second half but rarely tested visiting goalkeeper James McKeown and Mills later questioned players’ consistency levels after the team failed to hit the same heights that had led to an unbeaten seven-game run prior to Boston’s visit.
He said: “I think every player will be disappointed by their performance if they are being honest and I’m not happy with the way my team played. There were a few not playing how they can play and that’s how you get knocked out of competitions.
“If you can play well one week but not the next then you’re not the right player for York City. Consistency is vitally important.
“It’s a major disappointment that we can’t get to Wembley. I went to bed disappointed on Saturday and woke up disappointed on Sunday.
“I’ve not had many disappointing weekends since I came here and I don’t like them so we’ve got to make sure we don’t have another one at Luton.”
Mills was gracious in defeat, praising Boston for their defensive determination, but was unhappy with his side’s beginning to the game and lack of creativity, adding: “We never got going at the start and then it becomes difficult to just switch it on.
“They got themselves a goal when Robbie (Weir) made a mistake from the corner, then sat behind the ball and defended well, which is fair play to them, but we did not open them up and create chances as we have been doing.
“We got a bit desperate in the second half and went more direct. We created a couple of opportunities but, while I would not say we deserved to go out, we did not deserve to win.”
Despite describing Manchester official Colin Harwood’s display as “weak” and seeing his side have a strong penalty shout turned down when York-born Boston defender Shaun Pearson handled Ashley Chambers’ shot, the City chief also refused to blame an erratic refereeing performance for defeat, saying: “I thought there might have been a couple of penalties but the referee was weak.
“He’s not the reason why we didn’t win though. He could have helped the game flow a bit more and given a couple of decisions but that’s nit-picking.”
The Minstermen should also learn the extent of captain Chris Smith’s rib injury today after he needed to be substituted following a first-half collision with team-mate Michael Ingham.
“He got a knee in his back from our ’keeper and his ribs aren’t looking too clever,” Mills revealed. “We should know a bit more today.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel