Manager David Artell admitted he blasted his players at half-time after a turgid first half performance saw them trailing 3-0 to Burton Albion in the Leasing.com Trophy tie.
He made a triple substitution at the interval, opting to change all three of his three man midfield, with Paul Green, Ryan Wintle & Harry Pickering coming on to replace Callum Ainley, James Jones & Oli Finney.
The Gaffer said: “Callum was a little bit unfortunate; I think he got dragged down a little bit. They were up against three League One midfielders & they had to be good.
“After the break one or two let themselves down as well. Some of the players weren’t running around, it’s unacceptable.
“I’m not bothered whether it’s a league game, FA Cup, League Cup, Leasing.com, whatever it might be, there is a word before footballer & you’ve got to remain professional at all times – and some of them weren’t tonight. It’s unacceptable.
“It’s not terminal, it’s just a wound. We’ve got to stitch them back together & build them back up. The players have got to use it as a learning curve.
“The players have got to understand that they’ve got to do a lot more than that when they get an opportunity in the first team because they’re not going to get a chance if they play like that.
"It doesn't mean to say James, Oli & Callum are in the doghouse forever, I'm hoping that come Saturday they might be on the pitch again scoring the winner.
"There's a professional response that needs to come from them. I'm sure the game's not going to live long in their memory but they've got to get over it quick.
"It wasn't just them three either, there were others. We're all in it together & it's for all of us to rally around, pick the bones out of it & go again on Saturday."