Mansfield Town manager Adam Murray has called on his players to revive their spirits ahead of Tuesday’s away trip to Morecambe.
Stags were defeated 2-0 by Luton Town thanks to goals from Paddy McCourt and Pelly Ruddock at One Call Stadium this afternoon.
And manager Murray wants his players to rekindle their spirits in the quick turnaround before Tuesday’s trip to the Globe Arena.
“We looked like we lacked 'balls'. I think at times we looked like a team that doesn’t look like they know what to do with the ball.
“We’re lacking a bit of fire in there at the minute. Things aren’t going our way but we’ve got to keep grafting and keep working hard.”
After seeing his players become frustrated whilst trying to break down Luton’s resolute defence, Murray says he wants his players to take a leaf out of his book from his playing days and do the basics right.
“We need to see that they care. The thing that I don’t get is that little bit of fire that we lack. You’re fighting for their lives. They’re fighting for their careers, they’re fighting for jobs, I don’t get it.”
Murray continued: “I said to them in there [the changing room]: I never put myself in a situation where I was going to be fighting for a job, because I did the basics right. If you’re not having a good game, then you have to run through brick walls.
“Even when we haven’t particularly performed well, [we’ve seen] a spirit and a pair of knackers and today we didn’t see that.”
The gaffer said his side are still searching for the cutting edge which will see them carve the opposition open after enjoying the lion’s share of possession against the Hatters.
“We lacked a little bit of idea in the final third. In possession, we dictated play without causing them problems. I felt we needed a little bit more link up in the final third.
“We weren’t good enough in both boxes today. We had some good play and good possession but didn’t do enough with it. Then in the defensive third, we kill ourselves."
You can view Murray’s post-match interview, in full, on Stags Player.
