Stockport County boss Dave Challinor says the side effect of their heavy 5-0 home defeat by League One leaders Wycombe Wanderers is that they can use it to improve their behaviour heading into the rest of the season.
The Chairboys leapfrogged Birmingham City into top spot courtesy of their bumper win, with two goals each from Richard Kone and Fred Onyadinma before Aaron Morley’s late strike wrapped up a sobering evening for the Hatters.
The result was the sixth time in all competitions this season that Challinor’s side have conceded four goals or more.
“We have to use this as motivation to make sure the behaviours, if they are in need of changing, do change and see what needs to be done and where I need to be at.” he told BBC Radio Manchester.
“If we all do that individually then we all get better as a result.”
Challinor was complimentary about Wycombe’s performance but said any questions over his side’s status this term were answered by virtue of their performance.
“If there were any misconceptions around where we were at and what we need to do, then it’s answered some of that for some people,” he said.
“They caused our back four all sorts of problems with direct stuff, were cute enough to put balls into really good areas, they isolated one versus one and we couldn’t deal with it or handle it well enough.
“That will tell you what we need to do and do better.
“It’s about sticking together, understanding and using that as a yardstick to say if there were any misconceptions in the dressing room among players that said ‘I think I’m this’ or ‘I think I’m that’ then that’s an eye opener.”
Stockport are 10th in League One but have now won just once in their past six league games and play sixth-placed Bolton on Saturday in the third of six home games in a row.