NATHAN Vaughan has issued an apology to supporters on behalf of his team-mates after Worcester City put in a ‘soft’ performance against Tamworth.

The goalkeeper believes City allowed themselves to get ‘beaten up’ by the hosts, who recorded a 3-0 victory thanks to goals from Ross Dyer, Shane Clarke and Leon Mettam.

And Vaughan said he felt sorry for the travelling supporters who witnessed Worcester’s defeat, which also included a red card for Tyler Weir.

“We are really disappointed,” he said. “The gaffer (Carl Heeley), Gards (Matt Gardiner) and Snapper (John Snape) have all gone mad at us and we deserved that.

“When you come to Tamworth, you know it is going to be a battle and, obviously with the conditions, it was always going to be a case of just rolling our sleeves up but we didn’t battle.

“We were soft all over the park. It was like we didn’t believe it was going to be a battle and we got beaten up a little bit.

“We have got fantastic fans. They have come a long way, paid their money and watched a match in terrible conditions, so I would like to apologise to them on behalf of the boys because we weren’t good enough.

“Don’t get me wrong. Life as a non-league football fan has its ups and downs but, when fans turn up and see a performance like that, they have every right to be unhappy.

“The minimum requirement a fan expects is effort. I am not saying there was a lack of effort out there because I know the boys, but it may have looked that way.”

Vaughan, who made a series of fine saves to keep his side in touch, says he hopes supporters will see it as a ‘bad day at the office’ for City, who slipped to 18th in National League North.

“We are down there in a relegation fight at the moment as the league table doesn’t lie,” he said.

“But I can assure everyone there is big heart in this team.

“We have had a lengthy chat in the changing room and there has been a few things aired that have been bubbling under the surface, so I feel strongly that we are together.

“We believe in the gaffer and Gards and I want the fans to know that it was just a blip.

“We put in a genuine performance but we just played against a team that out-battled us.”