Boss Brett Marshall vows to make changes after Staveley MW allow three goal lead to slip against Ecccleshall United

Marshall has stayed patient with his players but has now had enough after Saturday's capitulation to a side sat second in the NCEL Premier Division.

“I am all for giving players opportunities, but there is a point where you have to draw a line in the sand and say we've got to make changes as it's not working,” he said.

“That is exactly what will now happen going forward.

“Saturday for me was the straw that broke the camel's back and things have to change.

“There will be players upset, but it's not a case of them being scapegoats. We have got to make sure we can see games out if we are winning with 15-20 minutes to go and that's exactly what I am trying to do now.

“For a neutral coming to watch us there have been some absolutely cracking games, they're always entertaining – but they are painful.

“The majority of sides I have managed, had they been 3-0 up at half-time, would not have lost that football game.

“It's disappointing as we have so much technical ability in this squad.

“I have to accept responsibility as the manager. And I also take responsibility for putting it right which I intend to do.”

Declan Howe (2) and Tomas Poole had Staveley 3-0 up inside nine breathtaking minutes.

But United hit back to win with four second half strikes, two in the last four minutes, with Luke Aldrich ending with a hat-trick.

“It's the story of our season – it's about mentality and focus,” said Marshall. “We've proved in numerous games that we can compete.

“When you break the stats down to get a picture of what's happening you see we've conceded 26 goals this season and 19 of them have been in the second half with 11 in the last 15 minutes which tells its own story.

“It's glaring me in the face – the attitude and tone of how we go out in a second half.

“Whatever cliché you want to use – a game of two halves or Jeckyl and Hyde – it's happening too much.

“If football games were 60 minutes we'd probably be top three at the minute. But it's 90 minutes and I am trying to get across to a lot of these players that the focus you take when you put your first foot on the pitch is the one you have to have when you take your last foot off the pitch.

“It's certainly not a fitness thing. We have got one of the fittest groups in that league.”

He continued: “Saturday was a shock, but I could see it coming. As soon as they scored on 47 minutes I knew we had a problem.

“We put that much effort going forward in the first half, it was exceptional. We are fit. But our fitness is sometimes maybe ill-used on the field. Sometimes you don't have to cover as much ground to get more benefit. We lose control and focus.

“Eccleshall are second in the league for a reason and second half they put us to the sword and we couldn't handle it.

“I've never been one for making excuses, but looking at the diamond and the base of the club at the moment we look very thin.

“We are where we are. Football is a squad game and people have had really good opportunities.

“I would not have them at the football club if I didn't have the faith in them to give them the opportunity to play. Whether they take that opportunity is in their hands, not mine.”

On Saturday Staveley head to an Athersley side that sit bottom who the Trojans knocked out of the NCEL Cup 2-0 last Wednesday.

But Marshall warned: “It's one of them – you don't want to go behind. You don't want to give teams a shot in the arm.

“We need to get them on the back foot. We could very well go there and put five or six past them or we could go there and get beat.

“I never take anything from granted and my approach will be exactly the same as Saturday against a side at the other end of the table.”