Stanley skipper calls for response to hammering (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Stanley skipper calls for response to hammering

1:47pm Tuesday 23rd October 2012 in Sport

LUKE Joyce has called on Accrington Stanley to use the hurt of Saturday’s 5-0 thrashing at Oxford to respond in tonight’s match against York.

The Reds have slipped from fourth in League Two to 16th in the space of three weeks after three straight defeats, with a 3-1 loss at Torquay followed by the shock hammering at the hands of a depleted and previously out of form Oxford side at the weekend.

Joyce has admitted that the squad felt ‘embarrassed’ with the result at the Kassam Stadium and the Stanley skipper has insisted there can never be a repeat, instead urging a response at home to York.

“Everyone is obviously massively disappointed after a result like that,” the midfielder said.

“Oxford scored a couple of quick goals in the first half but I’m not quite sure what happened, it’s a bit of a blur now when you try to look back at it. It was just an overall massive disappointment.

“But we’ve got a game in midweek and whichever 11 lads get the shirts, they’ve got the opportunity to go and get three points and get us back up the league.

“The gaffer says don’t get too down after defeats and don’t get too high after victories.

“After three defeats on the bounce and you’ve just been beaten 5-0, it’s hard not to be down about it.

“The feelings you get, you’re embarrassed with yourself, you don’t enjoy your weekend and it lingers on your mind.

“But we just hope for the opportunity against York to do it for ourselves, do it for the squad and for the fans who travelled to Oxford and Torquay and hopefully put it right.

“We’ll use it as motivation.

“We don’t want that feeling again all season, you don’t want that feeling again in your career to be honest.

“I’ve been on the end of a couple of them and it’s a couple too many.”

And Joyce believes Stanley’s encouraging start to the season, having taken 17 points from their first nine games, is proof that they have the ability to return to form.

“We know we’re better than Saturday,” he said.

“The players know that, the fans know that.

“That’s why it’s so disappointing that, for as well as we played early in the season, we can turn out a performance like Saturday.

“We need to make sure we don’t forget we started ever so well, we were fourth after a few games and had some really good performances and wins.

“We need to not get too down about it and remember that we’re a good team.

“You don’t become a bad team in the space of a couple of weeks.”