Ian Allinson kept his St Albans City players in the dressing room for 30 minutes after a humbling defeat at home to Cheshunt sent them tumbling out of the FA Trophy.
A goal from former City trialist Reece Beckles-Richards and two from Rowan Liburd sent the Isthmian League Premier Division side into round five of the competition with a 3-0 success, and kept the door of the Clarence Park locked.
The boss said it was an honest and open conversation but hinted that patience and a forgiving tendency were all but done as they look to get their season back on track, starting with Monday's trip to Chelmsford City in the National League South.
He said: "Full credit to Cheshunt, they did a job and we have to pick ourselves up.
"Unfortunately I don’t have time to feel sorry for myself or the players or the supporters or the club. We have to move on.
"It’s done. We’ve spoke about it, we had a really good conversation as a group [in the dressing room]. There was no shouting, no screaming, just literally a conversation about where we are, what we have to do to pick the season up and we have to put that right on Monday evening.
"If you’re not hitting the heights that we were in the first half of the season, it is always going to be a difficult period.
"At half-time I felt we would go out and improve from where we were but then they’ve hit one from 25 yards into the top corner and from there it is tough as we have to go and attack them.
"They played to their strengths and we didn’t.
"We can’t carry on playing football that is pretty on the eye because results over the recent weeks have shown that isn’t good enough.
"We have to grind some results out."
Playmaker Johnny Goddard was equally as downbeat after the contest but also just as happy to be getting an instant shot at redemption.
"It was frustrating," he said. "We didn’t have a normal rhythm and weren’t sharp enough on possession and the chances we did create, we didn’t take.
"That puts pressure on the lads at the back four and the team defensively.
"Cheshunt deserved to win, you wouldn’t question that. They worked really hard and it is something we need to learn from.
"The great thing about this week is we have an immediate opportunity to focus back on the league and turn things around."
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