Alan Pook criticised his players for their worst performance of the season after Worthing tumbled to a first home defeat in three months to Leyton.

Pook could not hide his disappointment after Rebels wilted at Woodside Road after the boost of an early Liam Collins goal.

The Worthing manager is now demanding a backlash from his players for Saturday's home FA Trophy tie against Mangotsfield United.

He said: "I hope the players' pride will make them do better for Saturday's match because I thought we were appalling. It was our worst performance of the season.

"I thought we were dreadfully disappointing in both halves. Last Saturday (at Slough) we looked like one of the best teams in the league and this was an opportunity to climb higher in the table.

"We got off to a great start with a super goal and Leyton were there for the taking.

"I don't know whether the players were tired from Saturday or they thought it would be easy after going ahead."

Pook was especially dismayed at the way his men faded after the break.

He admitted: "I thought we just sat back and encouraged them on. We made substitutions because we didn't carry the game to our opponents.

"Yet we still had opportunities and in the second half we missed three times with only the keeper to beat. You can't afford to do that at this level."

Chris Dicker put through his own goal to give Leyton the lead on 64 minutes and Pook felt the visitors did not deserve to be ahead.

He moaned: "I felt from the minute we scored we sat too deep and we just went with the flow of the game instead of making it.

"We are very disappointed because we missed a great opportunity to get near to the top of the league. If you don't finish teams off in the proper manner, then this type of thing can happen to you."

Collins gave Rebels the perfect start with a neat chip on 11 minutes and Worthing looked a threat throughout the first half with Ronnie Green prominent.

Visiting striker Mark Sophocleous became the first of six bookings when he went in late on Collins and keeper Dave Morgan later dashed out of the area to save at Collins' feet.

Leli Bajada levelled after only seven minutes of the restart with a fine shot on the turn from an acute angle after Manny Williams neatly slipped the ball to him.

Dicker was unfortunate enough to divert the ball into his own net from a James Hawes corner as the visitors went ahead but Worthing might still have taken something from the game with better finishing.

Marc Pullan should have hit the target from six yards from a Dicker free kick and Collins shot wide after a neat build up.

Substitute Mark Knee had a goalbound header saved by Morgan from a Dicker cross but Williams ran through to hit Leyton's third with a low shot past Mark Ormerod's outstretched right hand.