CITY manager Sean O’Driscoll was left fuming after watching his charges exit the second round of the Football League Trophy.

We were defeated 2-1 at League Two Wycombe Wanderers and O’Driscoll didn’t hold back in his post match press conference. I have felt that in the past O’Driscoll has backed his players even when perhaps they haven’t performed especially well and so this was a change of tack from the City supremo. It must be particularly galling for O’Driscoll, given his players’ excellent performance at Port Vale last Saturday that still resulted in a failure to win owing to Flint’s last minute moment of madness at the back.

City took a second-half lead at Vale Park courtesy of Scott Wagstaff but despite limiting the home side to hardly any openings, Flint gifted Lee Hughes a late equaliser with a horribly misjudged back pass.

That result leaves City still without a league win and pressure mounting on the players and management. I feel this pressure is the reason O’Driscoll lambasted his players for the performance at Wycombe, as he realises that it is time to eradicate the bad performances and get points on the board.

One positive to come from Tuesday night’s game was former Castle School pupil Joe Morrell being handed his professional debut. The 16-year-old became the club’s youngest player to feature since Marvin Brown in 1999. Morrell showed some good touches in the first-half and after the game O’Driscoll had some words of sympathy for the youngster, saying “I felt sorry for Joe Morrell. I said to him, ‘that’s the superstars you look up to!’”

City’s failure to gain results and inconsistent performances is becoming more of a worry as we move into the middle of October. Saturday’s scheduled game at home to Crawley Town has been postponed due to international call-ups, meaning our next game is at Crewe on October 19. I hope the players spend the next week or so training hard and are well-prepared.