Ross County manager Owen Coyle has told his players they must eradicate costly defensive errors if they are to return to winning ways against Hamilton Accies on Saturday.
The Staggies were beaten 2-1 by Hearts at Victoria Park on Saturday, with Coyle feeling his side more than matched their opponents.
Although County had several penalty claims turned down by referee Willie Collum, Coyle was frustrated by the way the goals were conceded and has demanded an improvement.
Coyle said: “There was no way we should have lost the game but we did, so that’s a bit self-inflicted.
“It’s done now and it’s important we learn our lessons from that.
“It’s not just about saying it’s a goalkeeper or a defender – it’s a collective thing. Our forwards are our first port of call in terms of how we defend as a unit.
“It’s the key moments and making sure there’s not for any split second a lack of concentration.
“It’s about working hard every day but the margins are so fine in this league.
“We saw that on Saturday, for the blow of a referee’s whistle it could have been very different in so many aspects.
“That being said we’re not hiding behind that. When all that is going against us it’s important we’re not gifting away the goals we did on Saturday.
“As good as the two finishes were, there were two or three mistakes within the build-up that led to those goals. That’s what we have to eradicate.
“If somebody beats us because they’re better on the day, or better quality, we will hold our hands up.
“But we’ve got to take the bit that’s self-inflicted out of the equation and give ourselves a real chance of gaining momentum and winning games.”
Coyle got off to a winning start as Staggies manager when he defeated Kilmarnock 2-0 in his first game since replaced the sacked Jim McIntyre last month, but he is hopeful of securing the Highlanders’ first home league victory of the season against Accies.
The former Burnley and Bolton Wanderers manager added: “We want to get that monkey off our back.
“That’s possibly part of the reason why I’m here now after we lost six out of seven games and only drew the other one.
“The game on Saturday against Hamilton is a great opportunity for us if we get to our maximum. If we do that, I’m convinced we can stand toe-to-toe with most of the teams in the league.”