Newmarket Town manager Michael Shinn wants reaction to Cambridgeshire Invitation Cup defeat to Ely City

Manager Michael Shinn did not hold back in his assessment of how his Newmarket Town side performed during Tuesday night’s 2-1 defeat to lower-league Ely City in the semi-finals of the Cambridgeshire Invitation Cup.

The Jockeys made a positive start to the contest at the Demcom Stadium when Efraim Romanos fired home from Josh Lee’s cross after just five minutes.

However, some slack defending allowed Ely’s Tobi Lawal to level up the scoreline before an error from Newmarket goalkeeper James Young presented Jack Friend with the opportunity to roll what turned out to be the winning goal into an empty net.

Shinn said: “We started the game pretty average but we got our noses in front and then we thought it was going to be easy.

“Ultimately these games come down to who is going to be more aggressive? Who is going to run further? And who is going to land on more second balls?

“That was all the game was ever going to be about and sadly, fair play to Ely they did it miles better than what we did.

“Everyone should want to run through a brick wall to get to a cup final, but we haven’t done that and that’s the most disappointing thing.

“We tried to get a reaction at half-time, told them we needed to work extremely hard to get back into the game. We huffed and puffed, but there was a lack of quality.”

With no cup final to look forward to, Newmarket’s sole focus now switches to preserving their Step 4 status.

Last weekend’s 1-0 home defeat to Waltham Abbey has left Shinn’s men three points above the Isthmian League North Division relegation zone ahead of Saturday’s trip to title-chasing Brentwood Town (3pm).

And the Newmarket boss has called for a quick reaction.

“If we could have got to a cup final, won it and then stayed in the league, that’s almost like doing a double,” he added.

"Can we now just focus on the league? We have to, but at the end of the season you want to be involved in cup finals and games that mean something.

“If we show what we showed tonight – and Ely continue to show what they showed – we’ll be in their league next season and they could be in our league.

“It’s as simple that. We can’t have an ego or think that we’re better than anyone else.

“We’ve got a massive end to the season and do you know what? The boys very rarely let themselves down but tonight they’ve fallen below the standard.

“Should a manager have to demand a reaction? If that’s what I need to do to get the boys at it then that’s what we’ll do.”

Having missed the defeat to Ely, attacking midfielder Ally Conway is set to return to the Newmarket squad this weekend.

Striker James Moore, meanwhile, has left the club.