City boss apologises to travelling supporters after 6-0 defeat

ST ALBANS City boss Steve Castle described Saturday’s 6-0 thrashing against Welling United as ‘pathetic’.

The Saints found themselves 5-0 down inside 23 minutes as Welling ripped their guests apart, taking advantage of the time and space they were afforded by the City players.

The result means City are now just one place and one point above the relegation zone and have just one win to their name in their last 22 league games.

“All I can say on behalf of the players is a big apology to everybody who has come over to support St Albans City Football Club,” Castle said afterwards.

“It’s just not acceptable, it’s just bordering on being pathetic that first 20 minutes. I’ve got nothing else to say. I was shell-shocked in that first 20 (minutes), it was the same shape as at Chelmsford. I can give Welling all the plaudits, they were on the front foot, they won everything every single ball was in the right areas and they attacked the ball just how I would like our lads to attack it.

“There’s bad days at the office and then there is today. I thought regardless of the opposition, that Weston-super-Mare, Bishop’s Stortford and Luton Town were lows but Welling were probably the best team we’ve come across but we let them be the best team if I’m really honest.

“They pressed us, they never really gave us any room what so ever. We were pathetic. I can only apologise.”

Castle suggested that there will be changes to his team ahead of tonight’s (Tuesday) home clash with Farnborough and says nobody is safe from the chop.

“Things will have to change from here on in,” he said.

“I’m fed up to a player. Don’t think the season-long ones, the ones that have been with me a while – there is an awful lot of respect I have for them for keeping with us through thick and thin – but that’s just not acceptable.

“I’ll be quite honest, probably the St Albans public will agree with me, if we’re going to get beat and we’re not going to turn up we might as well try youngsters that are coming through. Not one of them has come out with any credit whatsoever.

“I’ve got a lad in Ross Dedman who hasn’t played and has done very well for me at the back end of last season when I had next to no players. So him and Sam Barker, and Dom (Petrucci) and Shieldsy (Sean Shields) and Adam Martin they’ve all got to come into consideration with Mark Peters and all the subs really because what that showed me was that was nowhere near good enough and that was the same team that went to Chelmsford and put a performance.

“Not one of them has got any reason for me to feel unjustified if I turned around and said ‘I can’t keep you any longer’.