A disastrous opening spell saw Chesterfield storm into a 3-0 lead before 15 minutes had elapsed, and in the end the Red Dragons were lucky to only lose by four goals as former Nottingham Forest man Jack Lester ran the show for the visitors.

Not surprisingly, Reds boss Brian Carey was downcast as he gave his honest assessment of the game: "Certainly defensively in the first quarter of an hour we were awful.

"Despite giving them a three goal lead in the first fifteen minutes, funnily enough we were doing ok in the game. Once you start doing that, you don't give yourselves a chance and that is what we did tonight.

"I can only apologise to everyone who turned up tonight because I thought that we had turned the corner with the first clean sheet on Saturday, how we coped on Saturday and how we came out of the game with the win.

"I asked them before the game tonight to push on, take another step forward but we've probably actually taken two or three steps back tonight.

"It was the most experienced players who let us down early on and there is no getting away from that, no excuses.

"It was schoolboy defending wasn't it?

"You put players on the pitch and they should be better at their job, tonight they weren't. Tonight we were second best all around.

"I think in the first half we were 3-0 down and credit to them for the way that they carried on and kept to the game plan. At half-time we regrouped to go again but I have played in a game myself when we have been 3-0 down and come back so that is always the shout from us, to never give up and don't let your head go down and continue to want the ball. After the fourth goal went in those things didn't happen unfortunately. All I can do is apologise again, I take full responsibility and take it on the chin.

"I can totally understand the reaction of the crowd, as I've said all along, the buck stops with me. I take the flack that goes with it and I understand people's frustrations, I really can because I would not want to sit there and support a team that is getting beat three and 4-0 at home.

"I think that the players that we have got here are definitely good enough and the squad is definitely good enough, but on today's evidence you would have to say no. I feel that the squad here is definitely good enough to get up higher up this league and put a string of performances and some results together. I know that is definitely the case.