Chester FC manager Steve Burr called the performance in the grim 3-2 home loss to Braintree Town the 'worst of the season'.

Five goals cannot disguise a dire game of football and one in which the low-spirited Blues pretty much conspired to beat themselves, again.

Sean McConville opened the scoring with the aid of a deflection in the 40th minute yet Chester found themselves 2-1 down just 11 minutes into the second half after Kenny Davies and Jordan Cox scored within four minutes of each other.

Matty Brown levelled the game with a quarter of an hour to go but the Irons attacked from the restart and regained the lead when Cox poked home from close range.

Chester have now lost four from five in the league, shipping 12 goals in those games as the defensive issues that appeared behind them have resurfaced.

Burr said: "It was very disappointing and we seem just to have hit a brick wall where there's no energy in the team and the passing's not there as it was.

"We've seen them do it but a lot of them have lost a lot of confidence. There was none of the excitement from the team that I want to see them produce and it's really disappointing.

"You look back at one or two games this season where we have done well and we've just hit a patch now where you're looking at one or two that don't want the ball in case they make a mistake, we're not creating chances and the goals that we are giving away.

"I thought we might perhaps get a point and that's the worst we've played but that wasn't to be and as soon as we got the equaliser they've gone straight up and scored, and that's disappointing.

"I can't defend it because there was nothing to take from it and just the basic things like even taking a throw-in, how basic is taking a throw-in in a football match? It beggars belief sometimes that you can see that happening."

Chester now have a break until January 17, which gives the manager time to freshen up his jaded squad and add pace to a forward-line that does not look like scoring.

Ryan Higgins and Josh Green have already signed, although were not cleared in time to face Braintree on Sunday.

Burr hopes to make further additions this week and find new clubs for Danny Harrison, John Disney and Wayne Riley, who are set to follow Jamie Menagh out of the exit door.

"I think to be fair each one of the boys have had a fair crack since I've been here and I've made it obvious that we need to strengthen the team," said Burr.

"There's players out there that we saw can perform that have just disappeared. It was a very dour and lifeless performance against Braintree.

"At the minute players have lost confidence and with that its easy to say they look unfit and are not getting about the park

"It's the confidence side of it, the simple things of passing and moving. It's a simple game football but we're making it look very difficult at the minute

"I've always said we're a side that can never get away with carrying one or two players that are off, we have to be from one to 11 bang at it and there's too many individual mistakes at the minute.

"There are maybe one or two carrying knocks that are saying they're okay and perhaps they're not but that's one of those things and at the end of the day they're our decisions to put them out there

"For me, I put them out there and it's up to them to go and perform and at the minute they are not performing."

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