Still: Strong words were had after Stanley start

Still had been highly criticial of Hatters’ approach to the game, as they found themselves 2-0 down with just 16 minutes on the clock before fighting back to draw.

When asked if there had been strong words between himself and the squad, he said: “Oh yes.”

Elaborating further, Still continued: “They didn’t need me to tell them when I asked them, they told me.

“When you ask why, no-one knows why, if we knew why it wouldn’t happen.

“They didn’t go out there feeling they were unprepared, but unless you’re psychologically, physically and mentally ready, one of those things can let you down and I don’t think we had those three groups.”

Despite being able to find excuses for why it might have happened, Still wasn’t about to use them as he continued: “I do understand, we had the long journey to Carlisle, a difficult journey, it was a long journey to Accrington too.

“I can sit back and use those as excuses, I can. I can also say we’ve had to play Jake (Howells) at left back and Fraser (Franks) right back in other games, so the continuity hasn’t been there.

“I can quite rightly say that, and feel confident about it.

“But if I say it and not really believe that’s the reason, I’m doing the players a disservice and the players are better than that, they deserve me to treat them with more respect than that.

“Sometimes, people for whatever reason aren’t quite right, that’s life, it just happens in all works of life, all sorts of job.

“But there are certain jobs it happens where it shows up, sport being one of the them.

“A boxer doesn’t prepare properly, he gets knocked down, cricketer’s don’t prepare properly, they don’t get any runs, don’t take wickets, because it’s obvious.

“Football is the same and it comes under the heading I’ve used a couple of times, you can’t be a little bit pregnant, you can’t be a little bit ready, you’re either ready or you’re not.

“The greatest thing we did was got ready during the game, that’s not easy, but we actually pulled that round.

“Lots of people I spoke to said you must be delighted you came back. Of course I was delighted we came back, but that made me even more disappointed in one way, because it showed what we were capable of if we’d have been ready.

“As we found on occasions last year, things happen to you, and it’s how you respond to what happens and we responded very well, but it doesn’t make me happy.”

Still did warn his players though, that if they begin tomorrow’s tip to Shrewsbury as they had last Saturday, there would be no coming back this time.

He added: “We can’t be almost this week, if we’re almost we won’t get back in it, we’ve got to be ready.”

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