ANGRY FC Clacton manager Kieron Shelley admitted his side were “flat, negative and lacklustre” in Saturday’s 5-0 defeat against Godmanchester Rovers.

The Seasiders conceded after just two minutes of the Thurlow Nunn League fixture and, to compound matters, finished with ten men, after a red card for Jake Plane.

It means they are yet to pick up a point or score a goal in 2018.

“We have a good group of local players but they’ve still got to do the basics,” said an honest Shelley.

“That’s all Godmanchester did on Saturday. They worked hard, on and off the ball.

“They might have been a bit scrappy and a bit nasty but so what? That’s football.

“Unfortunately, it was a flat, negative and lacklustre performance from us.

“We were the home side so should have gone out there and worked hard for each other, as a team, like we were three or four months ago.

“Then we might have got something out of the game.

“Instead, we went behind after two minutes and rather than dusting ourselves down, heads dropped.

“That reaction really disappointed me.

“Players felt sorry for themselves and that’s not good enough.”

Godmanchester went ahead in the first couple of minutes after an own goal from Steve Downes.

A corner spun off his head at the near post and into the net.

Rovers doubled their lead soon after the half-hour mark with a shot from inside the box. It nearly became three early in the second half but for an excellent penalty save from keeper Luke Avenell.

However, Godmanchester, who also had a goal disallowed, stretched their lead soon after with a brilliant long-range effort that sailed into the far corner.

Clacton’s miserable afternoon was compounded by a second yellow card for Plane and Rovers added two more in the latter stages to run out comfortable 5-0 winners.

“We’re not a Stowmarket or a Coggeshall,” added Shelley.

“We’re a team that has to work hard for everything we get.

“If we stop doing that, we stop taking points and that’s what’s happening at the moment.

“At half-time we thought we were still in the game.

“If we’d nicked one we would have been right back in it but we’re struggling going forward at the moment and there was no spark or imagination in the final third.

“I’m not going to stand here and say we were unlucky because that wasn’t the case. We just weren’t good enough.

“I’m not saying we would have won the game if we’d put the effort and work-rate in but we certainly wouldn’t have lost 5-0.

“When I played the motto in our team was ‘refuse to lose’ and if we lost, we’d shake the other players’ hands and say ‘well done’.

“You can’t say fairer than that but, at the moment, we’re not coming off pitches in a position to say that which is worrying.”

Kevin Coyle was making his 400th Seasiders appearance.

Both sets of players formed a guard of honour for him and a special presentation was made by Seasiders co-owner Stephen Andrews.

Clacton are back on their travels on Saturday when they head to Gorleston.

To compound a miserable afternoon for the club, the Seasiders’ reserves also lost 5-0, against Gas Recreation Reserves, in division one of the Essex and Suffolk Border League.