Daws post-Southend (A)

Interim first team manager Tony Daws provided his reaction to Iron Player after his side's 3-0 defeat at Southend United on Saturday.

"I'm extremely disappointed and didn't expect that," he said.

"I thought we'd be in the game. We did alright for 35 minutes when it was 0-0. We've conceded countless goals in the first five or ten minutes of games, and I thought we were going to get to half-time at 0-0, but then they went and scored.

"We had words with the lads at half-time and you can't legislate for turning the ball over, giving the ball away with poor passing in and around your own penalty area, and that's what happened for the second and third goals.

"We had a go at them at half-time and were looking to have a good start to the second-half. You analyse yourself and wonder if that was the right thing to do, but we needed to do something because we weren't at the races, but within four minutes we concede a sloppy goal and then all of a sudden it's an uphill task.

"I didn't see that coming. We've done a lot of work defensively in this last week but you wouldn't have thought so today. As a team, we've got to be better."

Alfie Beestin was a late absentee through illness and Daws added: "It was a blow because Alfie has been quite instrumental for us recently and one of our better performing players in terms of contribution.

"It was a blow this morning but he was showing flu-type symptoms and thought it was best he didn't play. After working towards something all week, we had to make a last minute change."

Looking ahead to Gateshead at home on Tuesday night, Daws stated: "In football you've got to turn it around and bounce back as quickly as you can. It hurts but you have to put it behind you and get ready for Tuesday night. We'll get back down to work, analyse what we need to do better with the players, be up for it and ready. You expect players to go out, get a sweat on and work their socks off."

See more from Tony Daws and Jacob Butterfield on Iron Player.