VIDEO: Ferguson ‘embarrassed’ by Glenavon defeat

“The first half was very difficult against the conditions but we coped quite well and actually created a couple of chances.

“But lapses in concentration and individuals errors cost us and that is probably what cost us the game.

“I’m embarrassed by it and the players should be embarrassed by it as well.

“They are under no illusions as to how we feel about it. The last time we had a bad running, losing seven to Glenavon and eight to Cliftonville, we learned a lot about the players and a lot of those players are no longer here.

“We thought we were past that sort of thing but we had a severe lack of desire, hunger and will to put their heads on the line today and that’s the embarrassing thing.

“Any footballer should be willing to do anything to win a football match but too many of our players thought they just had to go out and knock the ball about to do it but there’s another side to the game.

“Davy Munster was the only player in the team who looked as though he had the desire to put his head in. That’s the type of player he is but if you only have one of those, it doesn’t work.

“We have been through tougher spells but it’s the manner in which we lost on Saturday.

“In recent weeks there have been too many players holding their hands up and talking about mistakes, mistakes, mistakes - something has to be done about it.

“When I look at how hard we worked on Tuesday night in training and then the team that was starting had a game on Thursday night and how they played and kept the ball, it was like day and night from that performance.

“The only way to get out of that is sheer hard work. Once you do that and win the battle, your levels of ability will come out,” added Ferguson.