Matty Etherington insists his Colchester players “let themselves down” after suffering a chaotic 5-3 League Two defeat at AFC Wimbledon.
Josh Davison and Joe Lewis both grabbed doubles for the hosts at Plough Lane as Asian Cup-bound Iraqi international Ali Al Hamadi also netted.
Cameron McGeehan, Joe Taylor and Tom Dallison all scored for the Us, though McGeehan was sent off in the closing stages for a second bookable offence.
Colchester have now suffered five away league defeats on the spin and Etherington criticised his players for their character in the capital.
The former West Ham and Stoke winger said: “I have been a player, they don’t want the manager coming out and saying they have let me down – but I think they have let themselves down.
“What will be will be with me, but they have let themselves down.
“If they play like they did second half it is going to be a long season, if they play like they did in the first half, they will be absolutely fine.
“It was a fairly even game first half, but for some reason we decided to come out in the second half and be really naive in our first few moments.
“It set the tone for the second half – it was poor. There was no excuses for it, it was really poor second half.
“Maybe fatigue set in a little bit and maybe poor decision-making.
“We have lots of young players in the team, really good young players but they need to grow up at this level. The whole team does.”
Both teams scored inside the opening seven minutes as Davison and McGeehan got the game off to a thrilling start.
The away side took the lead when Taylor beat Alex Bass before Wimbledon found an equaliser when Lewis headed home.
Davison fired the hosts back into the lead before Al Hamadi scored their fourth.
McGeehan was shown a second yellow card late on as Lewis netted a second in stoppage time, with Dallison’s goal nothing more than a consolation.
Dons boss Johnnie Jackson, whose side now sit in the play-off places, said: “I’m delighted – I thought we were brilliant from nearly start to finish.
“There was a period of the first half where they were slightly on top, but I thought we gained in control towards the end of the first half and in the second half we have been completely dominant in the game and scored five goals.
“We could have and should have scored more and looked a real threat all night.
“Coming here off the back of a difficult day three days ago and get the response that I have got, I cannot ask any more.
“I thought both lads (Davison and Lewis) were brilliant and delighted that they have got the goals. I have been asked for defenders to chip in more, hats off to Joe for that.
“Obviously, you want your strikers to be scoring the goals and for Josh to get his brace tonight, and I’m delighted for him.”
