Peterhead player-coach Jordon Brown thought they could take “zero positives” from their 4-0 SPFL Trust Trophy defeat to Elgin City.
The Blue Toon were beaten comprehensively by their visitors from League Two on Saturday, and Brown is frustrated the Balmoor side have allowed the positivity of their 3-1 victory against Kelty Hearts a week early – their first victory of the League One campaign – to dissipate.
He said: “It’s nowhere near good enough. It’s embarrassing and just nowhere near the standard.
“You give yourself a bit of a feelgood factor last week winning a game, and come into Saturday hoping to keep a bit of momentum against a team below.
“Not taking anything away from Elgin, but we need to be way better.”
Elgin scored twice in each half to seal their place in the fourth round of the Challenge Cup.
Their midfield trio of Brian Cameron, Angus Mailer and Russell Dingwall had a clear edge over the various combinations of personnel Peterhead employed in the middle of the park over the course of the tie.
Despite making 20 summer signings, Blue Toon boss Jim McInally is currently down on several midfielders due to a variety of injuries and other issues.
Brown, who was sent on at half-time to try to shore things up in the engine room, thinks having players missing is an excuse which doesn’t quite cover how disappointing the showing against lower-tier rivals Elgin was.
He added: “We’re throwing a team together at times, which seems crazy when we’ve got a squad of 27.
“But it’s getting everyone fit. It’s losing 14 in summer, and losing four or five like Andy McCarthy and Hamish Ritchie to injuries.
“But you have to adapt to that and, at the end of the day, we’re playing a team from the league below.
“To get beat four is just crazy. It’s frustrating.”
The win over Kelty two weekends ago means the Blue Toon, while still bottom of League One, are level with the Fifers on four points ahead of Saturday’s trip to play leaders Dunfermline.
Brown said: “You do need to forget it, but coming away with that you’re completely deflated again.
“We need to go again, train twice this week and pick ourselves up again.
“It’s not an easy week the next week – we go to Dunfermline on Saturday, Edinburgh on Wednesday and then back at Balmoor against Falkirk.
“It doesn’t get any easier.
“We need to hopefully get a few guys back and get a bit of shape about us.
“Middle to front we weren’t great – but all over the pitch.
“I thought big Sandy (Wood) did fine, made a couple of great saves – which you shouldn’t be saying when you’ve lost 4-0.
“We never really made their goalie work for anything.
“So zero positives, I suppose.”
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