Jon De Souza branded his side’s defeat to Colchester United as unacceptable after his side let a 2-0 lead slip to lose 3-2.
The Bees appeared in total control of the Under-21 Professional Development League Two South game after 15 minutes as Bradley Clayton and then Charlie Adams put them two goals ahead.
The home side grabbed one back from the spot a minute before have time as Drey Wright tumbled in the box, the midfielder himself scoring from the spot.
They were level 90 seconds into the second-half as Dion Sembie-Ferris beat Mark Smith with a fine half-volley.
Wright had the final say curling home a free-kick from 25 yards with ten minutes to go to complete the comeback.
Speaking to Bees Player after the match Jon felt that once his side went 2-0 ahead they needed to keep going to try and kill the game off.
Jon was disappointed with the manner of Colchester’s goals and said that his team needs to defend better against direct teams in the future.
“They are disappointed in there and rightly so,” said Jon.
“To be 2-0 up and lose the game 3-2 is unacceptable.
“I thought for the first 15 minutes we did well.
“When it went 2-0 we got a bit sloppy in the decisions that we made.
“We tried to play too much football in our own half and it was almost like we to kill the game off.
“We needed to keep going for the third and the fourth.
“We needed to keep doing what we were doing which was getting in the final third and being bright and creative.
“When it went to 2-0 we tried to play in our own half too much where I thought we needed to just do what we had been doing in the first 15 minutes.
“The midfield was definitely a key area for us.
“I felt we passed over too short distance in the first-half.
“When you pass over short distances you allow the other team to press and react.
“I felt we could have opened up the game and made bigger angles and better angles to allow us to play out of the press.
“I felt we had time to react and get back in for the goal.
“A long-ball can’t get in behind us like that and we should have dealt with it better.
“It was not good defending.
“Colchester’s style of play was a good test but we have to deal with it a lot better.
“A lot of teams play that way and you have got to stand up and win the first ball and win the second ball.”
Jon’s side have made a habit this season of conceding goals in quick succession having been on top for much of the game.
Against Crewe Alexandra on the opening day of the season they conceded three goals in 11 minutes and again on Tuesday Colchester struck twice in four minutes either side of half-time.
Last time out against Coventry City The Bees dominated the game for the first hour but let the Sky Blues back into the game in the second-half.
Jon thinks his side need to work on game management and seeing games out when they get in front.
The Development Squad manager said it is his job to prepare players for first-team football and he feels his players need to learn how to win games of football.
“It is about game states and at the moment we have a habit of conceding quick goals,” said Jon.
“We have to be brave and be strong and if we concede one it is not a problem.
“We have to be aware of the game states.
“If we are 2-0 up going into half-time we need to see it out and go in at 2-0 because that is a lot better.
“It is my job and the players’ job to prepare themselves for first-team football.
“They have to learn to win games of football.
“They have to learn that if they are 2-0 up with a minute to go to half-time that they see it out.
“They have to know that if they are 2-1 going out in the second-half they need to be prepared for a high tempo first 10 or 15 minutes.
“I don’t think we did that well enough today.
“I just said to Stuart English that in today’s game and the one against Coventry City we should have been out of sight.
“Then, because we haven’t defended properly, we have allowed teams back into it.
“Luckily against Coventry we saw out the win but today we didn’t.
“We have to work hard and analyse the game.
“We prepare properly for the next game and we help the players in whatever way we can.”
One of the positives for Jon from Tuesday’s defeat was the performance of Youth Team striker Bradley Clayton.
The 17-year-old scored his second goal in as many Development Squad games and also played a huge part in The Bees second, chasing down a backpass and squaring for Charlie Adams to score.
Jon said he was very pleased with Bradley’s work rate and the options that he gave the side up front.
However he felt that his side needed to do more to make sure that Bradley’s work was being rewarded.
“I thought Bradley Clayton was very good,” said Jon.
“Playing as a number nine he worked his socks off.
“It is great to have someone like Bradley making those runs when we use him.
“We did it in the first 15 minutes but I think after that we needed to be brighter and more creative overall.
“It is a positive because we have got to push these players up and get them competing for the first-team.
“Bradley playing up at Under-21 level is terrific for us but we now have to make sure he is ready for the first-team.”