ADY Pennock has promised to swing the Barrow AFC axe on the back of a ‘very awful’ FA Trophy exit against Brackley Town.

The Bluebirds produced one of their worst displays in years as they crashed out to lower-league opponents who outplayed them across the park.

Goals from Aaron Williams and James Armson sealed the upset for the National League North promotion-chasers – extending Barrow’s winless home to seven games and 80 days.

Pennock did not hold back afterwards, admitting the poor quality of the fayre on offer and saying some players had shown him they do not belong in this AFC team.

“It was very awful,” said Pennock. “But what it has done is made up my mind on a few things – there will be a few faces coming in and a few faces going out.

“I thought the last couple of games have been very poor. I’ve said before, there will be bumps and bruises, and we’ve got a big game on Saturday and we’ve got to forget this – I want to forget it now.

“I’m not happy at all, obviously, but I have made up my mind on a few things, and now we just have to move on and forget this one – because it was awful.”

Pennock kept the AFC players on the pitch long after those few among the 430 crowd who had stayed until the end had echoed their chorus of boos and headed for home.

And he revealed he had been asking which of the team had chosen to stay overnight in Barrow before the game – the late arrangement of the game meaning they would have had to pay £25,when normally the club cover costs – with the answer giving him food for thought.

“I just said ‘who stayed over last night?’,” said Pennock. “Two of them out of the whole squad stayed over – it would have cost them £25 each to stay overnight.

“I want to do things properly at this club – me Andrew (Casson, AFC MD), Paul (Casson, AFC owner), Grant (Holt, player/coach) Linds (Davis, the fitness coach), we’re all doing things properly. We want this football club to be a very good, professional football club and run properly.

“We’re doing everything behind the scenes, but they have got to chip in as well. It would have cost them £25 to stay over last night, but if they don’t want to be professional enough, then they’re not what I want here at this football club.

“It’s not just that. We bend over backwards for them, but they’ve got to help. I can’t give them that heart and desire, which I know now they are missing – some of them.”

He added: “Andrew has given us permission to stay overnight for league games. But where there is a quick turnover, we have said to the boys they have to do it themselves.

“I told them I would like them to stay overnight last night.

“We were in tomorrow anyway – no matter what, we were in tomorrow. So, they thought staying over tonight was more important. I just don’t get it.

“But it is what it is. I said there would be bumps and bruises on the way. This is a big old bump, but we just have to forget about it and move on.”