An understandably furious Ian Evatt said he will not accept his team becoming a ‘soft touch’, following their shocking 3-2 defeat at Chorley in the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup.

For the second season running, the Bluebirds have failed to reach the competition proper after losing to lower-league opposition.

Much like the disaster at Shaw Lane last year, it was the manner of Barrow’s capitulation at Victory Park that was of extreme concern, with Evatt’s players second to almost every ball in squandering a 2-0 half-time lead.

Evatt has ordered his players in for training tomorrow on the back of what was arguably the worst performance AFC have produced since the 36-year-old was appointed as manager during the summer.

Evatt said: “‘Disappointed’ is not the word. Obviously, emotions are running very high with myself at the minute, but that’s unacceptable.

“For me, it comes down to mind-set and I’m embarrassed of the way we played in the second half, I’m embarrassed that my team served that up in the second half and went under the way they did.

“I won’t accept that, I won’t accept that off anybody.

“The bare minimum as a football player is to give 110 per cent and our fans have travelled down here, miles and miles, in numbers to support us and to get ourselves 2-0 up and lose that game is unforgiveable and I’ve made my feelings clear to them.

“It’s happening too many times now – we’ve become a bit of a soft touch and that’s not me, as a player, as a person or as a manager.

“It won’t be accepted and things have got to change and change fast.”

Evatt was particularly irritated by the way the Bluebirds allowed Chorley a route back into the tie so quickly in the second half, with Matt Challoner’s strike coming 33 seconds after the restart.

“Everything that I said at half-time goes out the winder after one minute,” Evatt said.

“We knew that they’d come out strong, we’d knew that we’d have to see out 20 minutes and then we’ll take over the game and probably win even more comfortably.

“But after one minute, to concede the way we did is just not acceptable and I’ve told them that I won’t accept it.”