Ian Allinson was happy with the St Albans City performance against AFC Sudbury in the FA Cup but conceded they “have to be better” in attacking areas - starting with the replay.
The boss saw a George Morrall equaliser one minute into stoppage time salvage their FA Cup hopes against the Isthmian League Division One North side, a level two steps below the National League South Saints.
City struggled to threaten the Sudbury defence throughout the 1-1 draw and gave away a sloppy goal after a loose Callum Adebiyi pass.
But the introduction of youngsters Morrall and Lorenzo Johnson on 86 minutes proved invaluable.
Allinson said: "I thought the performance at times was very good, I felt our ball possession was very good, we just lacked a bit of penetration.
"We got into some good positions but tried to walk the ball into the net and then got the sucker punch 10 minutes from the end, when we gave away a sloppy pass where people haven’t taken enough concentration and it was exactly what they were hoping for."
The goal was the first at home this season at the fifth time of asking and the boss points to the injury list up front as being a problem.
He said: "We work extremely hard in training sessions and I was saying to the boys they’ve let the coaches down in terms of some of the sessions they’ve put on and everything is about getting a shot on goal or a cross in and we have to be better and we know that.
"We’ve still got to get Mitchell [Weiss] and Romeo [Akinola] back and we need those players in the side. When we get them, we’ll be better especially in terms of going forward.
“We haven’t scored enough goals all season and that’s definitely been the downfall in terms of where we are, we’ve got to go and score more goals."
Attention will now turn to Tuesday's clash on the artificial surface at King's Marsh, one which Allinson believes could benefit them.
He said: "I think we’ll have a lot possession. The surface suits us and we’re quite used to playing on it.
"We’ve got to try and get as many shots away as we can and try and keep the game ticking over.
"We’ve also got to be aware that they’ve got good players and one thing I’ve not been inconsistent with is the praise I’ve given Sudbury over the last seven days.
"They’re a good side with good players and they’ll cause us more problems on Tuesday."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here