Iron boss Mark Robins called on his side to stand up and be counted in the final six matches to stay in League One.
The Iron fell to a 2-0 defeat against MK Dons on Tuesday, with Will Grigg’s brace inside the opening five minutes inflicting defeat on Robins’ side.The United boss admitted it was frustrating to concede two so early and felt it summed up how the Iron’s luck had gone in recent weeks.
Robins told The Iron Player: “You can stand on the touchline sometimes and there is very little you can do, apart from scream and shout and pull your hair out.
“I think my head's looking like I've been pulling my hair out for a little while. You rely on the players to carry out the roles you ask them to carry out and I don't ask them anything they can't do.
“I will protect the players as fiercely as I possibly can do and sometimes I can't do that and they've got to stand up and be counted and be men and deal with it.
“I take ultimate responsibility and we have to be better than that.”
Whilst it was disappointing to lose against MK Dons, Robins also stressed the importance of moving on quickly, with six big games in the coming weeks.
He said: “We can't spend too much time on this one. It would've been nice to get three points out of it, but it was always going to be a tough game because they're a good side.
“They've got a lot of experience in the side and have been gradually pushing towards the Championship.
“You've got to appreciate their qualities, but at the same time we weren't good enough.
“We were too quiet in the first half and we didn't start how we wanted to, which led to the goals that we conceded and the players understand.
“It's something that we've got to learn from and understand that we've got to work hard at it and get as many points as we can in the next six games.”
The Iron’s next two games are against sides also in the relegation mix, with Crawley and Port Vale both visiting Glanford Park also in need of points.
Robins acknowledged that his side would need to be at their best and do everything they could in order to secure League One football for next season.
The Iron boss said: “The teams below us have put some decent runs together so these are the games we've got to equip ourselves well in to stand a chance of staying in the division.
“We're in a relegation fight and we've got to stand up and be counted. We've got to outscore the teams below us in terms of points.”