Worcester City boss Ashley Vincent has told his players they “cannot feel sorry for themselves” despite their miserable start to the league season.

Following their sixth defeat in 10 league games at Gresley last weekend, Ashley Vincent admitted the confidence of his team was low but has challenged his players to “get tough back” in order to stop the rot.

“You can’t feel sorry for yourself,” he said.

“No one gives you anything in this game and when it’s tough, you have to get tough back and I am not saying they’re not working, but it’s a mental resilience that they have to develop.

““There’s a little bit of them (not being nasty enough) in there I think but they need to look at themselves and decide whether they want to dust themselves off because when you are low and everyone is treading on you, you either stay lying down or you get up.

“I have told them, the reason they are here is because I believe in them.

“As a footballer you can be out of form and mentally at the moment they believe that, but physically they’re actually doing ok.

“Their confidence is just shot.”

Vincent alluded to the pressure players have to shoulder when playing for Worcester City and he says more is required from them in order to “grind” themselves out of this situation.

“This is a big football club,” he added.

“No matter how you look at it, in non-league football, Worcester City is a big club and a pressure comes with that.

“You have to go that little bit further when you play for this club and so far this season the boys haven’t done that.

“There is no midweek game this week so they will play again on Saturday but they have to keep going, get to training, keep working hard but realise that working hard is a combination of hard work, being smart and being tough.

“You have to mix all three of those and then we have to grind ourselves out of this situation.”

Worcester host fellow strugglers Racing Club Warwick this Saturday (3pm KO) in the Midlands Football League Premier Division at Claines Lane.

Both sides have just one win in the league with City in 16th and Warwick three places above them.