“I didn’t see that coming" - Gloucester City boss Mike Cook hoping 6-0 loss at strugglers Parkway was a one-off result
Gloucester City manager Mike Cook is hoping that Saturday’s 6-0 Southern League Premier South defeat at Plymouth Parkway was a one-off, freak result.
Parkway’s Exeter City loanee Mitch Beardmore had a day to remember as he scored all six goals, while Cook summoned his players for a Sunday summit to discuss the heavy defeat.
“I didn’t see that coming to be honest,” said Cook. “I know we can make excuses with people being ill and not being quite right with injuries but there is no excuse for that.
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“I thought they were very good to be fair to them but we allowed them to be good.
“We have been a bit constructive and talked about things that are not quite right after the game.
“There have been a couple of times where we have gone ballistic with the lads and told them we are not happy with them, but we have got another game in four days time.
“We are going to get them in tomorrow (Sunday), where they thought they had a day off, and we have got to have a chat with them.
“We have to talk to some about what we want as the standard we saw here is not acceptable from a Gloucester City player.
“I am feeling that this was a one-off at the moment - but we will have to wait for Swindon Supermarine on Boxing Day.
“I think we have to put it down to a one-off and not be too down or depressed about it.
“We are feeling that at the moment of course, but we have got to put it right.
“Things have been said and done already which will be reiterated.
“We are not taking Swindon Supermarine lightly on Boxing Day and we have to get back to that level where we are competitive.”
Parkway came into the game sitting third from bottom and led 2-0 at half-time before adding four more after the break.
“Everything that we talked about on Thursday night and then before the game was all ignored,” said Cook.
“Parkway did all the things we had talked about on Thursday - we learned a lot about them the first time we played them so we told the players how they would set up.
“But they were good and you have to give them credit and Chris McPhee and Lee Peacock are good people but we should be a lot better than that.
“I don’t want to accuse players of not trying but it actually looked like they weren’t trying at times and we said that to them in the dressing room.
“I don’t think anyone is not trying to be honest, but we looked well off it, not tackling back, not running back, not covering, not thinking and being sharp about situations that looked dangerous.
“Against a team that are fighting for their lives down the bottom you are not just going to rock up and beat them - you need a lot of effort and we didn’t have that.
“We have got a couple who are ill but even with that we were so far off it - not chasing back, not running and not doing anything that we have been doing with the ball either.
“If you look at everybody, including the coaching staff, I don’t think there was anybody who deserved more than a two or a three out of 10.”
City still sit third in Southern Premier South behind Merthyr Town and AFC Totton as they looks to bounce back from relegation last season.
“I think we are in a league where we should be a lot more competitive then we were today,” said Cook.
“There were times last season where we were nowhere near the teams we were playing and you were almost thinking a 2-0 or 3-0 loss would be a good result.
“We should have been getting a lot closer and tighter and making a game of it but they were very good and we were very poor.
“At the moment we are looking at it as a bit of a one off. We have scored 11 goals in the last three games, played well, played expansive football but here we were not at it.”
One plus for City was a first start for Harry Pinchard after his long injury lay-off.
“Harry was OK but he hasn’t got the sharpness yet,” said Cook. “We were expecting a signing to come through yesterday which didn’t quite happen which would have given us a lift.
“Josh Beadle and Matt Richards did well when they came on and it’s nothing against them.
“We are asking them to be men and stand up in a game where you are getting beaten heavily.
“It’s hard for them to come on and change the pace of the game and change the result, but they have done well while everyone else did not do enough.”
Gloucester City: Thompson, Leadbitter, Ball, Richards-Everton, Emmett (Smalley 46), Hanks, Williams, Grubb, Pinchard (Richards 65), Crosbie (Phillips 54), Anaebonam (Beadle 88).
