“We have to brighten up and tighten up.”: Jim Bentley's message to Morecambe players after Truro City defeat

Bentley’s first home match after replacing Ashvir Singh Johal saw the Shrimps beaten by a visiting team who hadn’t won away for 293 days.

That enabled Truro to leapfrog Morecambe in the National League table, with Morecambe six points from safety going into the final third of the season.

Bentley said: “I’ve not been here a week yet and I’ve seen some good things in training and the game at Altrincham but, today, I saw some things that alarmed me; especially in the first half.

“First of all I just want my defenders to defend. I’m not interested in playing out at the back and putting themselves under stress, but want the players to protect their defensive third as if their lives depended on it.

“There was a lack of awareness and we were left open at times when we lost the ball because nobody was sensing the dangers if we lost the ball – and that is where their first goal came from.

“We had a counter-attack opportunity and lost it, and then their central defender gets the better of three of our defenders who were just not alert enough.

“Their second goal was as bad as it came from a corner in injury time where nobody took control of the situation.

“Everyone was ball watching and the lad was left free at the back post and, from there, we had a mountain to climb.

“We have to have a much better mentality to defend and dig in and there are things that we need to iron out quickly.

“We can’t change everything as soon as we come in. We are trying to get the lads sharper but we need to start to battle and compete and individuals have to win their duels and that needs to happen quickly.

“There are lots of little things that are concerning and we need to target those areas as quickly as we can, show a greater mindset and know-how.

“We have to brighten up and tighten up.”