Chad Gribble was disappointmented with Rovers U18s defeat at Harrogate Town.
Despite a great free-kick goal from Will Green and a finish from Chris Pooley, Rovers returned from York St. John University empty-handed as they recorded their first loss of the EFL Youth Alliance League season.
The youth team conceded their first goals from open play in all competitions and in doing so, Gribble felt his team was not up to the usual standards he had come to expect of them.
He said: “We were below the required standard of a Rovers team against Harrogate.
“I can accept losing football matches because every team does and we were aware that our unbeaten run had to come to an end at some point but the fashion that you lose it has to fit with our ethos and what I expect in terms of a Rovers player and that wasn’t the case.
“We arrived with arrogance, we started the day in terms of the preparation in a poor fashion and the information we gave out to the players was ignored.
“In turn, because of that, we ended up with too many players on the pitch doing their own thing and that’s been far from us so far this season.
“The players need to understand it doesn’t always go your way and sometimes the opposition have a right to turn up and cause you problems and when they do, your principles and ethos has to stay in place.
“That wasn’t the case and I’m really disappointed with how our players have carried themselves on the pitch more than anything.”
Rovers were without a number of players through injury including two starters from the previous victory in Jake Oram and Owen Scattergood but the youth team manager wouldn’t let the selection available to him be to blame for his side’s showing.
He added: “The players that have featured in games prior to Harrogate have certainly impacted those games because we’ve performed well apart from last week where I wasn’t too pleased with us.
“Having said that, if you’re going to be a Rovers player no matter your age, status, whether you’ve been starting, finishing games or not playing games at all, you’re capable of contributing so I wouldn’t put it down to the players who played in certain positions today.
“I’d put it down to the collective attitude we’ve shown towards the opposition more than anything.”