Linnets boss: ‘A performance like that second half, that’s on them’

Adam Lakeland has blamed King’s Lynn Town’s players for the club’s dramatic home defeat to Scarborough Athletic and has labelled the side’s second half performance as ‘a shambles’.The Linnets surrendered a three-goal half-time lead and conceded twice in injury time as they imploded to see their 11-game unbeaten run ended by a damaging 4-3 defeat at the Walks on Easter Monday.A furious Lakeland said: “What a shambles we were second half.“Nobody sees that coming. It’s just so frustrating. I thought first half, we were superb. We wanted to start fast and try to get our noses in front and I thought we were outstanding that first half.”We were organised, looked a threat every time we got on the ball, middle third caused them all sorts of problems with the strikers, scored three goals. “And then to come out and put in that second-half performance is, I don’t want to use the word unforgivable, but as near to that as you can get.“I’ve stood here many times and defended the players and they’ve been absolutely outstanding this year, they have. We’ve put together an unbelievable run. “I spoke a lot about confidence, mentality. I’m not having what I saw there second half. I will not tolerate that.“I’ve absolutely worked my you know whats off in the last three months. I remember in December, standing in front of you many times when we were poor and taking all the pelters myself, which is my job to do. “But when the players come out and put in a performance like that second half, then I’ve got a duty to tell them that that’s on them, and it is on them.”For the second game in a row after being told not to come out slow and give them a goal and give them a way back into the game, he swivels in the box when we’ve got plenty of players around him and tucks it away. “Just the way with our body language and the way that we were defensively and in terms of organisation we were a shambles with the ball.”We didn’t retain it, didn’t show any composure whatsoever and any set plays that we had the quality was poor and I just can’t put my finger on it why that second half has come.”They go and get a second goal with 15 minutes left on the clock and all the momentum is with them. Naturally, we’ve got a few tired bodies out because we put so much into the game on Friday but that would be me standing here giving them an excuse and I won’t except excuses.”