Do you want it? (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Do you want it?

ANDY KING has challenged his players to stand up and be counted after labelling them 'an absolute shambles of a team' following an abysmal defeat at Peterborough United.

The Town boss was seething with fury after Saturday's 4-2 reverse at London Road and read his team the riot act following what he felt was a disgraceful showing.

He said: "There are some things in life worth fighting for and I believe winning football matches and getting into play-offs is one of them.

"We can forget about automatic promotion now.

"Disgraceful and awful is the only way to sum up the performance against Peterborough."

King has warned that heads could roll ahead of the Bristol City derby at the County Ground and Rory Fallon is already pencilled in to start against Danny Wilson's men with either Tommy Mooney or Sam Parkin making way for the New Zealander.

King vowed that his players would 'suffer' for their showing with a full week's training, starting today.

A full and frank exchange of views between manager and players was scheduled today with King admitting that he couldn't understand what was wrong with his team.

He said: "We just look like an absolute shambles of a team.

"They'll suffer for it though. I don't know what's up with them.

"Unless they pick themselves up, the only thing I can do is make changes.

"Unfortunately I don't have a lot of choices to make but if I could threaten five, six, seven or eight of them, I would.

"A few of them had better look at themselves. Nerves I can understand, but not being able to run around and compete is a disgrace.

"One thing I do know is that Rory Fallon will start against Bristol City. Who his strike partner is, I don't know."

King said he had always stuck up for his players but felt unable to do so following the pitiful showing at Posh.

He said: "These are worrying times. As a manager I now have to analyse what has got wrong and what we do to put things right."

Saturday's defeat, Town's third in six matches, was also marred by an unpleasant exchange between King and Peterborough coach Bobby Gould at full time.

The pair had to be separated after a series of acrimonious exchanges during the match.

The only consolation for King was that results elsewhere still leave Town with a five-point play-off cushion with just six matches remaining.

n Mark Devlin is looking to a County Ground derby sell-out. See tonight's Sporting Pink.