King's Lynn Town head to Worksop Town on Tuesday night, hoping to arrest a worrying dip in form and rediscover their spark under interim boss Joe Simpson.
The Linnets' 2-1 home defeat to AFC Fylde at the weekend made it five National League North games without a win, and Simpson didn't hold back in his post-match assessment.
Lynn's caretaker boss said: "First half we were nowhere near it and second half we were a lot better."
It was a blunt debrief from a coach clearly frustrated by his side's inconsistency.
Lynn were second best before the break against a Fylde outfit Simpson described as "experienced, streetwise and good campaigners," and although they improved after the interval, it wasn't enough to overturn a two-goal deficit.
"I think we're doing a lot of talking at the moment in terms of what a talented side we are, how capable we are, the individuals we have," said Simpson.
"But at times in that first half we looked scared and we looked like boys, which was very frustrating because I keep saying week in week out about how hard they train, how hard they work but that's nothing if you don't turn up on a Saturday in front of your home crowd and play to your level, and we didn't."
Fylde's first-half advantage ultimately proved decisive, leaving Simpson to rue another missed opportunity.
"We gave ourselves too much to do and it's getting really, really annoying because I know what the boys are capable of and this is my fault because I set us up a certain way, I want us to play a certain way," he said.
At half-time, the message to his players was clear.
"One of the things I did say was, 'don't feel sorry for yourself, be the best version of yourself because if we can play to our level, this game's still here for you'," he revealed.
"It wasn't like we turned into Barcelona in the second half either, it was just a case of our distances were better, we landed on more second balls, we did the basics of the game better and then you can handle the ball and you can play."
The interim boss remains convinced that consistency, not capability, is the issue.
"When they do that, we're a very capable side, as I keep saying, but I sound like a broken record and I'm fed up with it."
Lynn will need to find that consistency quickly as they visit a Worksop side whose own results have fluctuated since promotion from the Northern Premier League last season.
The Tigers under Craig Parry have shown flashes of quality, none more so than in their win over Fylde, but that was followed by a setback at home to Marine.
With both sides searching for some consistency, tomorrow night's clash at Sandy Lane offers Lynn a chance to steady the ship and give Simpson the response he's been demanding.