'Embarrassing’, ‘amateur’ and ‘disgraceful' – Mansfield Town first team coach Andy Garner’s assessment of the defeat at Exeter City

Stags dropped down to 18th in League One, nearer the relegation dogfight, and failed to manage a single shot on target in an unexpectedly tootheless display at St James Park after three battling draws in a row.

But the Stags have now not won for 14 games and Garner snapped: “It was an absolutely dreadful night, probably one of the worst in the four years or so that we've been here – absolutely disgraceful.

“I thought the first 15 minutes were absolutely amateur, we looked like a non-league club – and that is no disrespect to non-league clubs.

“I can't really put my finger on it after three really good draws in the last three games in which we got a bit of pride back.

“We had stuck with the same players and formation and they come here and do this.

“It is the first time in a long time I am embarrassed.”

He continued: “I feel quite emotional and I was embarrassed to go to the fans tonight to clap them.

“But you have to. We had 500 people travel down here on a Tuesday night, which is unbelievable, and they have every right going home tonight saying whatever they say.

“I will tell them you have just watched your team let you down for 90 minutes.

“Perhaps the players should see what they've got in their bank acounts and give the fans their money back?

“We are still in a relegation battle aren't we? Unless they think we are safe after the three draws. We've not told them that for sure. We need some results – we need a win.

“The first 10 minutes was the worst I have seen for a long time – everyone was off it. We were not alive.

“We had one shot from Aden Flint, who I thought did well when he came on.

“He won all his headers and is the only one who has got a shot off.

“There were too many performances nowhere near it. It is very hard to win a football when you only have two out of the 11 who put a performance in. You won't win a football match when you have nine not doing it.”

Garner and boss Nigel Clough now face a huge task to lift the players ahead of Saturday's visit of Barnsley when failure to win will equal the club's worst ever winless run of league games of 14 back in 2000.

“This is our job, one we have been doing for 37 years,” said Garner.

“We have got to pick them up now. We try to keep lifting them but it's obviously not working.

“We have been in the game a long time and try to be as professional as we can.

“We have got to go to the training ground and start all over again.

“We have to try to get their confidence back as they will be at rock bottom again. But they are grown men, footballers, so they need to get on with it.

“We don't mind if you give it everything you've got and lose 1-0. But you can't put in a performance like that – it's disgraceful.

“We now have five hours on the bus to go home and it is not going to be a nice trip home.”