CN: So Lee, slipping to a disappointing defeat this afternoon, we played most of the match against ten and the last third of the match against nine, we just couldn’t break them down, what went on out there this afternoon?

LA: Well, the first thing I will say is, credit them. You have to credit them. They were dogged, hung in there obviously, sat everyone behind the ball as you would.

But they still looked lively on the break, especially with ten. And I have to say to the players, that's probably the worst defeat as a manager I've ever had at any level, at any club. We're just absolutely miles off hitting the front line.

I keep defending them front players, especially at home, but we're not scoring enough goals. You go back, no goals against Warwick, we scored one against Anstey, but Evo scored it. We scored last week at Rugby, Evo scored it.

One against Ilkeston, but Jono scored it. I can go back further, the Corby games, I just can't quite put my finger on it here, why we're not getting results. But a drastic, drastic lack of quality in that front line.

And there's not a lack of quality in the front line in terms of personnel, ability, but we're just not seeing it as regularly as we need. I mean, how many shots have we had today straight down the keeper's throat?

How many balls have we slung into the box? We've probably had ten corners. And that's not bad luck, that you're not landing on any second balls and sniffing out chances in the box.

It's being back fought, it's being laboured, it's not getting yourself in there where it hurts.

The transfer deadline's coming up, isn't it? I may have to make some really difficult, awkward decisions, which I didn't think I'd have to do, but there's something missing. We shook it up today because I thought even last week we won the game at Rugby, but we were flat.

And you bring Jono back into the front line because the pitch is shocking at the minute. It's rock hard and it's bobbling all over the place. So, we thought it's going to be a bit of an ugly game.

Stick Jono up there in the front two, probably get some joy. He won his fair share. First half, we weren't around the bits.

We didn't stretch him enough. Quality was poor. Everything down to throw-ins.

We've got four v one and we're throwing it down the line. It's so many things there that I could pick apart. I think I've just got to go away and reflect on that because there's not as much as I can say the players have got at targets and stuff.

We may need to change something because it's just not clicking here. I'm not quite sure why. It's not for the want of trying, that's for sure, but we just feel like we're not getting enough out of some players.

CN: Back here next Saturday, which is obviously a worry with the home form as you alluded to, but two tough away games come from that. How do you lift the players after today's defeat?

LA: We'll try and lift them, but at the end of the day, it's not just my job. These players are very good players.

They've been around this level. They've experienced that dressing room. Actually, I've just said to them there, they've got to take responsibility because I will stand in front of the camera and I'll defend them 99 per cent of the time.

To be a top side, you don't get dragged along by a gaffer. You have characters in there who pull teams along. We've got in there and it's silent.

It was silent half-time. It was silent before the game. I want more.

I said to them, I want you to want it as much as I do. Last season, we got a reaction out of the players because we went flat at this stage. Then we went on a really good run to finish.

There's no doubt we've got it in us. Everything today, decision-making, you're hitting balls on our left weaker foot from thirty yards. You can slide someone in.

Balls bobbling behind us. We're trying to hook around. It's just stuff that we shouldn't be doing.

We look like the team today with nothing to play for. That's the biggest bug bear of mine today. You can lack quality, especially on that pitch.

That fighting desire, you can't go missing. It took us to put Jack on, skipper, with a bad back. We had five minutes left to show something around the box where I felt we could get something here.

The rest of them, throwing John up there, throwing Kev up there, Diego's up there for nearly 90 minutes. Just nothing. Nothing's coming for us.

Every time we get in front of goal, we smash into the church. I'm really, really frustrated.

When you're up against 10 and 9, there's almost not a lot you can do tactically because it's just attack versus defence.

When you look at their goals, you'd have to have here but KP will never probably never do that again, this season. He certainly probably won't do it again, twice.

For their second goal, we've committed everybody forward. Jordan's trying to swazz one across the pitch with his laces when he can just side foot. It's just stupid.

It's just basics. It's not even basics. It beggars belief, the decisions that we make.

Having said that, Chris, I always say, don't I? If players make bad decisions, it's still on me because I pick them and they're my players. I can't stand there and push all the blame. We take our fair share.

Listen, me and Wainy have been at 155 games now. It's our team. We built it.

We'll take the flag from the top. That's how it works in management. But there's absolutely no doubt that them players are better than they've shown today and they're better than they've shown last week against Warwick.

I just wonder whether it's the expectation on us at home that we should go and win games.

And away from home, we just seem to win them. But you're right.

Really tough games coming up. You call them games in hand, but away at Diamonds in Northamptonshire on a Tuesday, away at Shepshed on a Tuesday. Tough games.

Obviously, we've got one here at home in between against a Lichfield team who were on fire at the start of the season, dropped off, but have really picked up the last few weeks and got some good players again.

Like I said last week, it's in our hands, but we can't play like that.

Lee Attenborough was talking to Chris Nelson.