Dons need to 'start again' after another defeat

Trailing after just two minutes to a Callum Camps strike, Dons never looked like troubling Rochdale's goal. Despite getting a slight foothold in the game early in the second half, Ian Henderson's header made it 2-0 on the hour mark.

It means Dons have picked up just one point from a possible 21, and even though they climb to 18th in the table as a result of Tranmere's 5-0 loss to Sunderland, it's as bad a run as Dons have ever had since their formation in 2004.

"I'm no very impressed with that we did tonight – we've got to start again," said Tisdale at the Crown Oil Arena. "It's hard (not to be angry) but I have to temper that, and have a think before I say in which way.

"There was so much not working that I'm not sure where to start. It doesn't help when they score so early. We are where we are, and all we can do is bring ourselves back to the boil for the weekend. We cannot feel sorry for ourselves.

"We have to find a way out of our malaise at the moment. We're on a really bad run and a really tough game on Saturday. I'm under no illusions, I don't feel very happy with what I've seen."

"Everyone is trying but they need a sense of clarity and direction and purpose – less is more. Tonight had a bit of everything and we can't play well with a bit of everything. It has to be simplified, I have to help them and they need to do their bit. We'll do that together.

"We're all in it together. I'm not attributing fault. We've got to find a way. Professional sport is not easy when you lose your rhythm, that's just where we are. It's not my fault, the players' fault, it's not luck, we just have to find a way out of it."

Tisdale refused to attribute blame for the torrid run, and said he was not going to point fingers at his players.

He continued: "I feel for the players, I'm angry with what I've seen, but they're hurting. That's not me being soft, we all feel it, but we've got to find a way. It's certainly not the time for me to be critical or show any dissent towards them. They've tried hard, they have put in a lot of effort in the last month, but we have to be clear with what we do next. I'm not losing faith in the players, but they need a bit of help from me."