YORK City boss Nigel Worthington was left bemoaning individual mistakes as his side went down 3-2 at home to Southend.

Recalled defender Dave Winfield conceded a tenth-minute penalty against the Shrimpers and Michael Ingham then spilled a low cross for the visitors’ second goal.

Substitute Anthony Straker went on to surrender possession too easily as impressive teenager Jack Payne added a third, meaning replies from skipper Russell Penn and the recalled Winfield were rendered meaningless.

On his players’ blunders, Worthington said: “I couldn’t fault the energy and commitment and we passed the ball better than we did against Luton, but individual mistakes cost us very dearly. We probably didn’t deserve to win, but we didn’t deserve to lose either.

“Whether you are a goalkeeper or an outfield player, though, you have to limit the opportunities you give the opposition to score goals. We scored two goals and got nothing out of the game because we probably gifted them three.

“No team can afford to do that. It’s as simple as that.

“For the penalty, we had two or three opportunities outside the box to deal with him, rather than it ending up a last-ditch situation. Then, unfortunately, in the second half, the ball came into the box and, with no bodies around him, Michael could not make a straight-forward catch.

“As a manager and a club, you can’t legislate for that. It was a real knock for us.

“The game was evenly balanced and that type of thing rocks everybody, including myself but it’s a big man’s game and you just have to deal with it and get on with it. We could also have done better 40 or 50 yards up the pitch for the third goal and dealt with it at its source.

“We showed a bit of character to get a second goal and then you’re hoping for something to go your way in the penalty box, but it didn’t happen.”

Having previously stated that the club’s last three games would prove a good barometer of his squad’s potential this term, Worthington conceded that defeats against Burton (2-0) and Southend (3-2), either side of a 0-0 draw with Luton, meant his team have not measured up as well as he would have hoped.

The Minstermen chief added: “We are a bit short and we need to find a cutting edge.”

Home attendances are also dropping with the atmosphere against Southend tetchy at times but Worthington admitted that fans’ frustration was something his players must contend with having failed to win at Bootham Crescent for seven matches.

“It’s not up to the supporters to get us going - we have to get them going,” he reasoned. “You have to deal with that.

“We played better than we did against Luton in our last match, but we can still improve and have higher standards.”

Skipper Russell Penn gave the Minstermen some hope when he headed an equaliser in first-half stoppage time to cancel out Myles Weston’s penalty.

Goals from Kevan Hurst and Jack Payne went on to put the game beyond the hosts, although Worthington still had praise for his captain, who netted his first goal for City since his arrival from Cheltenham in January.

“It was a good time to get a goal,” Worthington said of Penn’s header. “I’ve been telling him to stick at it, keep getting in the box and, then, something would drop for him and he scored a good goal.”

Winfield joined Penn on the scoresheet with a headed 85th-minute consolation after being preferred to John McCombe in the starting line-up.

On that change, the City boss explained: “I left Dave out after the Exeter game when he didn’t have the best of performances. I didn’t think John had one of his better performances against Luton either, so you have to be fair and treat everybody the same.

“Dave deserved another chance in there. It’s up to the player then to hold on to the position for as long as he wants and I want.

“I thought he came in and did very well. Him and Keith Lowe won most of their tussles at the back and we’ve seen in training that he will always be a threat in the opposition’s box at set plays.

“He stuck one away, which is good for him and I hope it’s the first of many.”

In attack, meanwhile, Jake Hyde partnered Wes Fletcher from the start for the first time since his summer move from Barnet.

On their display, Worthington said: “There was a bit of life up there. They caused Southend a few problems at times and the movement wasn’t bad.

“There's something there. It would have been nice to get them on the scoresheet but they were holding up the balls into them much better.

“In the last couple of weeks, it’s been very noticeable that Jake’s been much busier in training and looked rough and ready, which you have to be in this league. He held the ball up quite well, linked play quite well and won his headers, so he’s on the right track and it’s all about learning the game at this level.”

Worthington went on to admit that he had been unable, as yet, to bolster the Bootham Crescent ranks in the loan market.

“It’s a strange time of season to get people in, but inquiries are ongoing,” he said.