Reality check, dangerous pitch and fears over Scot Bennett knee injury - Cheltenham Town boss Michael Flynn after FA Cup defeat at Salford City

Was that one of those days where everything that could go wrong, did go wrong?

Yes, when we compete and we press teams and play with an energy, that's why we've won six of our last nine games. We were really poor today, flat-footed, off the pace, second balls we lost, first balls we lost. First half, they ran all over us and we got what we deserved today because we were way below our standards that we've set and it's a reality check for a few of them.

Two goals in three minutes and it all went wrong very quickly didn't it?

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Yes, as you said, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. Even their first goal has come from a ricochet, bounced to them after we were on the attack, puts him through and we were caught out of position. Then we give a penalty away straightaway, so we were just really poor today in all departments. There are probably two or three who can hold their heads up, but as a collective, we were really poor.

Do you hope Jordan Thomas will learn from giving the penalty away?

I hope he does, you'd like to think he will. I am not going to blame Jordan. We created hardly anything and it sums it up when we can't even put a penalty away. You think that's compounded the misery and then we finish with 10 men because the subs are on and Scot Bennett has picked up an injury, which could be a bad one.

Is it too early to tell at the moment?

Yes, I hope it's not as bad as the luck we've had. It's down to this pitch, I am telling you. It's awful. Their player got injured as well. It obviously needs work. I am not blaming the pitch for the result by the way. I am on about the two injuries because the pitch is dreadful. It gives way, way too easily. It's a really bad pitch and a dangerous pitch.

You made two changes at half-time and kept trying, but nothing really worked did it?

It didn't matter who I brought on, they didn't help improve on. I am not blaming the subs because the damage was done in the first half. Everything we did today was below standard and not good enough.

That has been rare in recent weeks hasn't it?

Yes, even if we've lost before, we've lost giving it a go bar the Wimbledon and Fleetwood ones. It's a reality check for them. We haven't been potent, the front three have come off it, which they will. They are young and inexperienced. They are learning their trade. George Miller has played a load, but Joel Colwill, Ethon Archer and Jordan have been a big part of our game so straight away when we have three of them below par, it puts a lot of pressure on the others and a few others were below par as well. If you have seven or eight not at it, you are very likely to lose the game.

The front players you mentioned have to work out how to get the better of opponents, who are now more aware of what they can do don't they?

Yes, that's part and parcel. You can't tell me the top players are not doubled up on, man-marked, but they find a solution. They are young, they will learn when you can dribble, when you can take five touches and not two. It's a bad performance and I am not going to dress it up, but I am not going to go overboard on it because lately, that's been few and far between and we've won six in 10 now. We are on a good run of form, today wasn't acceptable.

Is Port Vale at home, the league leaders, the perfect way to come back and for them to give you a reaction?

Ask me at 10pm on Tuesday and we'll see if we've had a reaction. I've just told them if they play like that against Port Vale, you'll lose 5-0 at home. I want to see what we are made of, bounce back, don't let one become two etc and it was disappointing because I love the FA Cup.

If you have a penalty with 20 minutes left, there is nobody you'd want to take it more than Matty Taylor and it would have set up an exciting finish in front of the noisy travelling fans?

Yes and their 17-year-old goalkeeper will get the plaudits and I thought he had a very solid game, but we didn't test him. Second half though, I don't think Joe had much to do until right at the end and if he did, it was all from our errors, or poor backpasses. It was really bad today, wasn't good enough and we made some crazy decisions on the ball, off the ball, getting what we deserved, just for their first half performance, where they were up for it, aggressive, they deserved to go through.

Did Scot Bennett, whose birthday it is today, just twist awkwardly with nobody really close to him?

He was close to him, but he's gone to turn and the pitch has given way and it's one of them. I just hope it's not a bad one.

So will he be on the coach and then scanned early next week?

Yes, he'll have it scanned either Sunday or Monday. Probably Monday because it'll allow the swelling to go down, if the swelling is bad.

During this recent run, even against MK Dons, you strongly felt you deserved something, so it's been a long time since you've deserved to lose, isn't it?

Yes, it is and I am not going to dress it up because we got what we deserved today. We didn't deserve to be in the third round. We have been here earlier in the season when we deserved the three points and didn't get it then. We have been here and played really well and lost and we've been here, been poor and lost. I can't stand the place, so thank God we don't have to come back here. That's nothing against Salford itself, I just hate it as a haunting ground for myself and it's never been good.

You are still in one cup competition, with a chance of reaching Wembley...

We are and I was told we didn't win a cup game at all last season, so it's a big improvement already, but it's one where we need to dust ourselves down and make sure we get a reaction against Port Vale.