OVER the past few weeks, a sports psychologist could probably have gleaned enough material out of Worcester City for an entire seminar.

Trying to find an answer to why City had gone from mixing it around the play-off zone to one of the worst runs imaginable.

But the root of the problem can probably be summed up in one word — confidence, something that the effects of a lack of should not be underestimated.

As the defeats mounted and goals dried up, so the players went further into their shells, seemingly not knowing what to do.

Even if there were other factors involved as the run reached historic proportions, no confidence was a major component and the vicious circle was finally broken by Mike Symons’ fourth-minute strike against Oxford City.

You could see the instant effect on the team. Suddenly, passes found their intended target, heads were up and City believed again. It was almost as if the past nine games hadn’t happened.

But, of course, they had, and it remains to be seen what effect they will have in the long run.

Yet, by employing some reverse sports psychology, it is possible what has happened will be good for the players, even if few might not think that now.

My thinking is that having experienced such a run, they will be determined not to do so again. Moreover, they will be better equipped to deal with it.

Striker Michael Taylor is hoping his City team-mates will be stronger as a result.

“I think it’s going to help a lot of us, especially the younger lads,” he said. “I have never lost nine on the bounce, how do you deal with that? It’s been an experience, we’ve just got to make sure it never happens again.

“It’s been mentally draining. A lot of us are winners, we’ve come from winning teams or backgrounds so we’re not used to it. It’s been a wake-up call.”

He added: “It’s been a hard run but we’ve stuck at it and I think we got what we deserved against Oxford. It was only a matter of time.

“When we lost two, then three and four it takes it out of you a bit and you forget what you normally do and what your best attributes are.

“But I think we were back on it last Saturday against Corby and I think we were unlucky. On Monday I thought we carried out our game- plan and executed it correctly.”