A disappointed Hereford manager Paul Caddis admitted his side were "not good enough" as they fell to their second straight defeat – and said he told his players that in "no uncertain terms".
After a 2-0 defeat at home to King’s Lynn, leaving Hereford as one of only three National League North clubs without a point after two games, he said:
"I won’t come here and try and dress it all up. I don’t think it was good enough in both boxes. I don’t think it was good enough in between. We lacked a little bit of belief after going one down."
The first goal came after just six minutes courtesy of Ross Crane, who doubled his side’s advantage later in the half.
"Once you lose a goal so quickly in the game, it can sucker punch you, but it shouldn’t. We showed a lot of good signs last week when we went away at Spennymoor and played really well for the first half in particular," Caddis told BBC Hereford and Worcester’s Carson Wishart.
"I just didn’t think we had much threat at either end — keeping the ball out of the net and having the character and desire to try and create chances."
Offering a blunt assessment of a lacklustre display, with the Bulls failing to create decent chances despite playing 80 minutes with a lone striker in Remaye Campbell, Caddis said: "There was nothing to get excited about. There’s nothing to be thrilled about on the back of that, which is extremely disappointing."
Bemoaning a lack of training sessions due to a busy early fixture list, the boss said the players need time to gel but don’t have it. Even so, he insisted the defeat hurt him more than anyone and that he retains belief in his ability.
While admitting he is not a Hereford fan, he stressed the job is his livelihood and said his side must improve on and off the ball while cutting out individual errors.
"People want to have a go [at me], no problem," he said. "As long as it doesn’t get personal towards my family, that’s fine. I won’t change. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I can hear people shouting and I’ll have a pop back, but I think people prefer that to me just sitting with my hands on my backside looking on.
"I love being here. I love the job of being a manager. I know nothing else. I’ll keep fighting. We’re in game two of 46. It’s not the end of the world."
He added: "The players know it wasn’t good enough. They were told in no uncertain terms. But what can we do? Sit and cry in a corner? We’re grown men. Deal with it. Get on with it. Build a bridge, go over it."