Martin Ling was left frustrated by United's capitulation at Hayes & Yeading, gifting the home side their first home win of the season.

In his pre-match interviews Ling warned that the players must avoid a repeat of the loss at struggling Grays Athletic two weeks ago, but an unchanged team failed to follow up on the 4-0 win at home to Ebbsfleet last weekend and instead turned in a performance every bit as poor as at Grays.

"It's another of those games that we were talking about before the game," said Ling after seeing the home side run out comfortable 3-0 winners. "It's a team in the bottom four and you come here and people expect you to win the game, but we've got people not performing at the level they need to perform at.

"Any success in this league is when you go to the places like Grays and here, where you've got to get down in the muck and nettles and get amongst them and answer some questions," he added.

"Those are the games your season is built on and we haven't been good enough at those type of places. Sometimes at home on a nice pitch we show what we're about but today was nowhere near the level we want to be."

Ling was clearly also concerned about the ability and willingness of the players to accept criticism when he added, "We've just spoken about this; there's plenty of life around the training ground and around the club, but any criticism from me or criticism for fellow players seems to be taken as a slight.

"It needs to be that we're all in it together and we're all pulling it together out there. People will call people out, managers tell players what to do and you build off that. But it seems that people are scared to take criticism off anybody. If any player says anything they seem to go back at each other, but it's about being together out there as a team and as a unit and today wasn't good enough."

With his playing budget slashed in comparison to the last two seasons, and with just one new signing added to the squad he inherited in pre-season, Ling warned, "All the players apart from Brian Saah are players who have been left here and they've got to show me what they want.

"They can't do it on the odd occasion here and there - they've got to be doing it consistently, week in, week out. Today they didn't do that and I've told them that. It's about a three-year project and finding out what players want to come along on the ride."

The home side seemed to set out with greater determination from the start, and although Chris Holroyd had a shot well saved and Danny Crow had a chance ruled out for offside, once United gifted Scott Fitzgerald the opening goal Hayes always looked the side most likely to win.

"We had chances before they scored, but it was a giveaway goal and the lifeline they were looking for," agreed Ling.

"They're a team down at the bottom looking for a break and it was a kick out by the goalkeeper that went straight into their player and into an empty net. We talked at half-time about getting back into it, but they were 2-0 up before you know it and we never asked them anywhere near enough questions to show what we're about.

"I said after the Histon game that the difference between our good and our bad is miles too wide, and our consistency is nowhere near where it should be. Today was a really bad day at the office and it's hard to pick a player that comes out of it with any sort of credit.

"A performance like that frustrates you and gets you down, and you start to scratch your head when you look at the players from last week's performance and you're working with the same players.

"Sometimes it has to be about personal pride, personal discipline, personal performance, and if you all do that personally then the collective becomes better. I'm available to accept the criticism for the collective because the collective wasn't right today."

With Andy Parkinson ruled out with an ankle injury, Jon Challinor was among the substitutes for the first time and the manager explained, "Jon has been on the transfer list and the loan list and no one has come in for him; we're paying his wages so I'll use him if I need to."

United's next game is the FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round tie at Lincoln United next Sunday and Ling knows he has to get to the bottom of United's problems for that game: "Yes it's a banana skin when you've had performances like this and the one at Grays. Lincoln are a little bit lower down than them but it still makes it a difficult place to go and if we don't put in the performance we won't win the game. We have to make sure we're right and properly professional."

United fans were left calling for wholesale changes after today's defeat but Ling will take a considered view of the squad and responded, "It's not the right time to give an opinion on that right after the game, but there aren't massive amounts of people to make wholesale changes. I'll have a think about it during the week and I've got eight days to get it right and make sure we get it right as a club."

Next Up

United are next in action at Lincoln United in the FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round on Sunday 25th October. Directions and away travel information can be found here.

[Match report] [Fixture list] [League table]

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