FRUSTRATED boss Carl Heeley criticised his players for being “second best all over the park” in Worcester City’s dismal defeat to Brackley Town in the Emirates FA Cup.

Steve Diggin and David Pitt both pounced on mistakes by goalkeeper Ryan Boot before Jack Bowen scored in stoppage-time to clinch a comprehensive 3-0 victory on Saturday.

Heeley admitted Boot’s costly errors gave Worcester a “mountain to climb” in their third qualifying round tie at Bromsgrove's Victoria Ground.

However, the City manager insisted he was “struggling to pick out anyone who played to their potential” as Vanarama National League North rivals Brackley ran out emphatic winners.

“We have had our good little run playing 4-4-2 and trying to get two strikers on the pitch and our wide players have done really well,” he said.

“But we got absolutely murdered in midfield on Saturday. We did not get close enough.

“Booty has dropped two but, aside from that, I still didn’t think it was good enough to get a result.

“We were second best all over the park.”

Heeley continued: “Tom Sharpe came out with a bit of credit in the first half but I am struggling to pick out anybody else out who played to their potential which is very frustrating.”

He felt the injury to left winger Cieron Keane, who was forced off with a gash to his head on 12 minutes, disrupted the balance of his side.

But he said that did not excuse their poor performance as they failed to register a single shot on target.

“The keeper, the back four, the midfield and the front two were nowhere near what they had reached in previous weeks,” said Heeley, whose side were on a six-match unbeaten run before losing 3-2 to Nuneaton Town last week.

“We weren’t great against Nuneaton, conceding sloppy goals, but at least we looked a threat on the front foot and that wasn’t the case on Saturday.

“It is very frustrating when it’s the FA Cup as we all want to go on a run every season.”

Boot’s two howlers are among a catalogue of errors City have made this season and Heeley admitted he could not explain why they continued to creep into their game.

“You can look at formations and what happens in games but when the goalkeeper drops two in the six-yard box you don’t get away with those,” Heeley added.

“But individual errors have blighted our season.

“It hasn’t been one player as it’s been spread across most of the team. It’s been incredibly frustrating but that’s the way it goes sometimes.

“How can you explain individual errors and players being second best all over the park? I don’t know.

“We don’t prepare them any differently, we don’t say anything differently, we don’t fundamentally change any of the characteristics of the side.

“It is just the way it goes.”