CHRIS LAKEY Nigel Worthington has barked out the orders at the Colney training ground this week as he attempts to shake off the blues which have blighted City this week.

CHRIS LAKEY

Nigel Worthington has barked out the orders at the Colney training ground this week as he attempts to shake off the blues which have blighted City this week.

First it was three goals conceded without reply to the Sky Blues of Coventry. Then it was the surrender to the dark blues of Southend in midweek when a 3-1 lead - and two points - were lost.

And the instructions for today's home game against Crystal Palace couldn't be clearer: take responsibility on the pitch and, whatever you do, there is to be no repeat of the last 20 minutes at Roots Hall.

Worthington was positively steaming after the draw at Southend - a reaction which he admitted yesterday had not quite subsided.

“The anger doesn't subside at all, because it is an honest reaction to a straightforward situation,” he said. “We have tossed two points away. We could have been on 13 points and second or third, wherever that puts you in the league. Not that position in the league is prime at the moment, but points are prime and I would love to have been on 13 points going into this game on Saturday against Crystal Palace. But it's not to be so we have to go and put it right.

“I just want to see a responsibility taken on there, somebody to get the game by the scruff of the neck and take it through because the first half and the start of the second half was excellent. There were so many positives, the passing was good, the work rate was good, pressing was good, we scored three very good goals.

“The only thing that let us down on the night was the last 20 minutes where we stopped doing what had got us into a very healthy position, and tarnished the whole night by not getting the three points. When you score three goals way from home, you are entitled to three points, I think that is fair to be said.”

How well the players have taken the mid-season rollicking will be evident this afternoon.

“The proof of the pudding will be in the eating,” added Worthington

“We have set ourselves a standard and we dropped below that standard last Saturday as far as performance is concerned. The performance on Tuesday overall was excellent, we just let ourselves down with the end result. So I want the standards maintained at the level that we set them. Make sure we pick up where we started off the other night and go and do it for 90 minutes.

“There are so many positives from the other night, and we go and blight the whole evening through 20 minutes of irresponsible football which cost us two points that we had in the bag.”