BURTON Albion manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink said his side didn't turn up in today's 4-0 defeat at Oxford United following their "magnificent" efforts up to today.
The Brewers conceded twice either side of half-time in today's season-ender at the Kassam Stadium with Oxford playing for a place in the play-offs and Albion looking to secure as high a finish as possible in League One - something we did despite the defeat, finishing 16th in the table.
But Hasselbaink was left extremely frustrated with his side's performance on the final day, saying the Brewers did not end the season in the right way.
"I think we were far off it," said Hasselbaink. "You have seen us in so many matches, especially away, and that was not us - they were better.
"We were second in everything. We didn't do the things that we agreed we were going to do, we played too much in front of them as well.
"We didn't put them under enough pressure. They were good today, we were not and we didn't turn up, and I'm very disappointed because we want to end the season in the right way"
Hasselbaink said, with little riding on the game for his side and so much riding on it for Oxford, that his side needed to find a new edge going into the game - something we did not do.
"It is hard because when the stress and the meaning of the game is off for you, you need to find a different edge and as a group we didn't find that today," added Hasselbaink.
"In a way, sometimes it's good to lose and today was the day to lose, and put things in perspective.
"We've still got a big job ahead to maintain that level that we want to have here.
"Don't get me wrong, the boys have been absolutely brilliant up to today, absolutely magnificent, and thank God we have done it (secured safety) with three games to go. But today was just not good enough."