Ian Allinson says defeat to AFC Sudbury in the FA Cup is the lowest point of his St Albans City career - but he says he can't worry about the sack until it actually happens.
The second round qualifying replay was Allinson's 300th in charge of the Saints but goals from Sakariya Hassan and Josh Stokes were enough to give the Isthmian League Division One North side a 2-1 win, Kyran Wiltshire's goal merely a consolation in the end.
He cut a forlorn figure at the end of the contest in Suffolk but will carry on regardless
"There’s never fear," he said. "I never worry about that because it is beyond my control.
"If the club feel it is the right thing to do then that their decision.
"At the end of the day I know the service I have given this club and it is probably more than any other manager has in the past.
"I feel I’m doing the best for this club and I’ve always tried to do what’s right for the club.
"I never put myself first, the club comes first, and when I walk away from this club, I’ll do so with my head held high.
"But that’s football. Bigger and better managers than me have lost their job
"I’ve still got a lot in me but as a group, we need to be better. That’s me and the coaches but [against Sudbury] the players have got to take responsibility because they haven’t done their job correctly.
"That’s disappointing and it is probably one of the lowest points I’ve had.
"It’s the worst I’ve felt after a game. It was hard to take.
"We probably had 60 per cent possession again but we’ve not been good enough and that’s been the story of the season."
And with the recognition that they cannot keep doing the same thing and expecting different results, Allinson is ready to make sweeping changes to his squad.
He said: "We’ve tried to stay loyal to the players we’ve brought in but maybe we have to make the decision quite quickly.
"I’m not here to throw people under the bus but maybe we need a change in personnel if we’re going to improve.
"I certainly don’t think we are a poor side but we need to improve in areas.
"We have to look seriously hard at ourselves and myself and the players have to take full responsibility because these performances haven’t been good enough.
"We have to bring better in.
"At the moment we haven’t been good enough so we are going to have change some personnel. We can’t keep accepting what we’ve seen again [at AFC Sudbury].
"Seven goals in nine games is not good enough but we got away with some times because we weren’t conceding.
"But if we’re conceding goals now and not scoring them then we’re in major trouble."
He confirmed any new faces would mean some of the squad leaving but he also said his injured quartet are close to a return, with the home game against Chippenham Town on October 8 pencilled in for most.
Allinson said: "We’re talking about having Mitchell Weiss fit, maybe Romeo Akinola, and certainly Mackye Townsend-West.
"Devante Stanley should be fit for this weekend [against Farnborough]."
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