Paul Hartley saw his Cove Rangers comeback soured by a 6-0 thumping at the hands of Championship leaders Queen’s Park.
Marking his second stint at the Balmoral Stadium, Hartley watched on as Cove shipped six for the second week in a row, in a performance which the manager felt drifted into “embarrassing”.
Simon Murray rattled in four and was at times given the freedom of the penalty area to pick his spot. Jake Davidson and Grant Savoury also found the net.
Cove had never conceded more than three goals in an SPFL home game until Saturday and were ruthlessly picked apart by a team flying high at the summit.
“I thought we started OK and we lost a really poor goal,” said Hartley. “We had some not-bad spells in the first half but the goals we gave away were terrible.
“In the second half we were outplayed and it was embarrassing at times. I know they’ve got good players but we’ve got to work harder.
“We know we’ve got a lot of work to do. We need some players in, we need to bring some better players in.”
They gave themselves little chance in the game. Murray was the beneficiary of a defensive error for his first, with goalkeeper Stuart McKenzie’s pass coming straight back off him into the net.
Davidson drove home unchallenged from the edge of the box, before Savoury’s weaving run gave Murray the opportunity to prod in a second.
He was unmarked to slot in a fourth from Dom Thomas’ cross and Savoury picked him out again to rattle home another.
The impressive Savoury got himself on the scoresheet with 13 minutes to go to complete the rout.
“I saw them eight weeks ago against Queen’s Park – they outplayed them and won 2-0,” added Hartley.
“We’re low on numbers and playing players out of position. So my job is to get the right type of player in that can improve us and make us better.
“If you give players time and space to do what they want, hit the target with no pressure on the ball, then good players will punish you.
“This league is like that. If you stand off good players, don’t have any contact or challenges, you’ll get beat.
“That’s a performance I’ve never seen from a Cove team in my life. We were lucky to lose two goals here at times, so it’s a complete shock.”
Cove have conceded six once under Hartley – against Annan Athletic away in his first season in charge – but the Balmoral Stadium has traditionally been a fortress for the Aberdeen side during his time in charge.
The need for recruitment is obvious. Hartley handed Declan Glass a start on his second coming at Cove but he looked short of match-sharpness. Former Celtic and Queen’s full-back Brody Paterson, who Hartley took to Hartlepool United last summer, was at the stadium on Saturday, having not featured for Pools since mid-November.
“I’m a bit lost for words on what went wrong,” added Hartley. “I knew it would be a tough game but the manner of the defeat, particularly in the second half, was disappointing.
“I need to get this game out of my system as quick as I can. This league is so unforgiving and we’re in a fight with the two teams at the bottom at this moment in time.”