A furious Ian Allinson launched a scathing attack on his St Albans City players in the immediate aftermath of the 3-1 loss to Eastbourne Borough.

Saints had taken a fifth-minute lead through Joe Iaciofano but a sloppy equaliser set the tone for a poor afternoon where the team's defensive frailties were harshly exposed.

It means they have now shipped 18 in the last six games and the normally calm and considered boss was not messing around when he questioned the mentality and belief of the current squad.

He said: "I've been very loyal and you expect a reaction and you expect a change and it's very easy to criticise

"The players train hard and are great footballers but you can't win games by being great footballers, you have to have another side to your game.

"You have to have some mettle about you, some steel about you, some aggression but it has to be controlled aggression.

"We have to stop people playing and when the ball comes into our box we have to defend for our lives.

"That's the law of the jungle and we're not doing it well enough and we're being punished every time the ball comes in the box.

"It's not important to us as a team, and I put myself in that collective, to keep a clean sheet and the mentality has to change in terms of the way we defend set-pieces and the way we defend in open play.

"All three goals were poor and I've got to work really hard now to bring two or three in."

The goals were horrendous from a defensive point of view, with poor marking and defensive decisions costing them far too often.

And Allinson says the instructions worked on during the week at training had not been followed.

"People aren't doing their jobs," he said. "We took too long to get set up for the set-pieces, peopled don't win their headers and they don't go with runners.

"I know what Glen does with the players on the training ground. We work hard with them on the defensive side.

"They haven't listened to what they've been told, we haven't worked as a unit and we haven't stopped crosses coming into the box.

"And if you don't do that then teams are going to score goals against you.

"We missed some very good chances and we defended like novices again.

"We tried hard but at times it's like running up a hill backwards. We can't give the goals away we are."