CN: So, Lee, you seem really disappointed today, obviously scoring a goal right at the end of the first half, going in at half-time on a positive and then what happened in the second half?

LA: Well, first of all, the first thing I will say is credit to Corby because they were the better team probably by a distance today. The better team won, the hungriest side won, especially in that second half. Look, we knew today was going to be difficult with our player situation.

I've been looking at this game for two weeks, thinking can we get through that Saturday? You look at our line-up today, you've got two strikers at full-back, you've got a full-back at centre-half, we've got square pegs, round holes and we've got three players on the bench who are all kids. So, it's going to be tough. I don't think we played particularly well in the first half, probably fairly even in the first half, but they missed the best chance at 0-0.

We then scored a goal at a great time. The biggest disappointment for me is everything we said at half-time, we just didn't carry out in the second half. They had a high line, we weren't turning around, we lost individual battles, we started to let them play in our half of the pitch, we didn't get high enough up the pitch as a back line and we stopped playing.

I always think we look poor when we do that, when we start relying on KP going big. I just think other than Grats, we're not taking enough responsibility in terms of getting on the ball. We had zero from the wide lads today, nothing.

No creativity, no shots on goal, not menacing, not asking questions, not running hard enough. It always stops with me. I'm really, really disappointed.
Ultimately, I'm the manager, so it's on me. I just don't think we smell danger enough. 1-0, they were on top.

We had to shore it up, but instead of taking our time over things, we're trying to boom it on the counterattack and catch them again. Game management was poor. We're disappointed with the goals, like I say.

The first one, I think they've had a corner or a throw-in. Grats has got it, left-back area, he's got one pass up the line. Kev knows what pass that's going to be.

He has to get there first, and he lets the defender beat him to it comfortably. They run off with the ball, they square it and put it in the box, he scores. So, not good enough off the ball from us.

Second goal, front post corner. We should have a man in the hole to hook it away. We don't get tight enough.

It's little things. What I say to the players all the time in football, at this level especially, it's rare you're going to beat someone 6-0. It's rare you lose 6-0.

There's always fine margins, little things, details. As much as we're frustrated with it, once the lads go over the white line, they've got to take responsibility for those little things. But like I say, I'm not shying away from anything.

We're not good enough at the minute. It's difficult when you've lost. At the end of the day, we're playing today.

We've got no Keenan, got no Evo, got no Jordan Fankwe, obviously, Taguey and Fenton. That's five good players out of the squad. We'll have Evo and Keenan back next week, so your back four’s back in place.

We'll have another body through the door hopefully as well, which we've got agreed, and that'll make the squad better and deeper. We just looked shattered that second half, and I can't work out if that's just because we had a tough game Tuesday, where we did put everything into it, and then we've had to roll out on the same eleven again today. I don't know, but I don't want to look for excuses because that's not good enough, and it's not the standards we set early in the season.

We'll get ourselves into a real scrap week in, week out to try and get some points, and we have to be better all over the pitch. Like I say, that stops with me, so I'm not going to pass all the blame on to the players. It's my responsibility, and I've been here long enough to build it.

It's my team and I built it from scratch. I've got to look at what I'm doing as well because I'm not just having the questions levelled at the players. At the end of the day, we're in charge, so we'll reflect like we always do and watch the videos back.

I've said loads of stuff there about us. I just don't think you can take anything away from them because they've thrown themselves together in the last two or three weeks. As I said before the game, regardless of who they've signed and where they've been, they'll have running power and they'll have legs because they've got a new manager in there.

They're hungry. They want to impress. A lot of them lads are trying to make the step up and fair play to them.

They were good today, not necessarily on the ball, but the desire off the ball. I just thought they'd run hard on us, and I hate saying that. Maybe it's time that we're all about moving players out and players in.

It's okay having players who can cause carnage, but I think week in, week out, when the going gets tough, maybe I've got to look at bringing in some lads who cover some more yards. I'll take that one on the chin. I'm going to do a lot of thinking this next couple of weeks, and we'll see where we go.

CN: Looking at the bigger picture, slightly away from today, one win in the league in seven. Despite a fantastic cup win on Tuesday, can you put your finger on exactly why that happened?

LA: Having won the three before that without conceding a goal. I think you have to put context into play.

Two of those games we had red cards. That doesn't help. I think we've been good in the last couple of weeks.

We've tightened up a few things that we weren't so happy with a few weeks before that. I felt we made a couple of changes because attitude has slipped a little bit. Again, I said before, they don't become bad players overnight, and we don't become clueless as managers overnight, me and Wainy and Mark and the team.

Sometimes in football, you just drop the level. Is it a hunger thing? Is it some of the players think they've proved the point early in the season now they can slack off? I don't know. That's why I'm saying the next couple of weeks, we've got to do a lot of thinking.

It's not good enough and we're trying everything, but the strange thing is we're not doing anything different than we did, or than I've ever done. We're preparing the same way for games. We're having the same conversations that we always do.

We're setting up game plans. We're looking at the opposition like we have done. The same as when we were top of the league last year and earlier this year.

The same when we've been on runs where we've won five or six on the bounce. We do everything the same. We're just not getting that out of the players.

We've got to find a solution to that; there's no doubt about it. Maybe some honest and harsh conversations have to be had, but the first thing I'll do is reflect on myself. Me and Wainy will delve into that probably in two minutes' time, but all the way through until next Saturday, until we can hopefully go and put it right at Wellingborough next week.

Tough game. We've got a tough run coming up. Do ourselves no favours.

Lee Attenborough was talking to Chris Nelson