David Unsworth admits tonight’s trip to Boreham Wood is a “big game” for Latics and says they must “bounce back quickly”.

Unsworth’s men suffered a 2-1 defeat at Solihull Moors over the weekend despite John Rooney’s late goal.

The result leaves Latics 23rd in the National League table, although they have played at least two fewer games than the sides around them.

They have now gone six matches without a win in all competitions, and Unsworth has been left ruing individual errors.

"It's a big game for us,” said the manager. “(Solihull) was a big game for us. Talk is cheap.

"It's difficult to understand us at times when we do stupid, silly things like we did at the start of the second half.

"First half there was nothing in the game. We've got to bounce back quickly."

Solihull struck twice in a ruthless four-minute spell early in the second half, and Latics had a tough task from that point.

Unsworth added: "The first goal is fear. We're halfway in their half and we have a one-v-one situation, and we turn back and make a safe pass backwards to a centre back.

“That's individuals taking responsibility and individuals not being fearful. I can't legislate for that. I don't know how to explain that. I'm sure everyone who was here couldn't understand it.

"And then we make a mistake, everyone makes mistakes, and then they score from it.

"When you've been really positive at half-time and you have a good first-half display and you're 1-0 down straight after half-time, it's like a boxer being punched right on the end of the chin and you just get knocked out.

"What we don't do and what we haven't done over the period of time is weather it, come back together quickly and say, ‘Right we're going to get a foothold in the game again’, and we just concede another. It's just incredible.

"We come back in it but it's too little too late. The scoreline looks like it was close, but the first goal kills us.”

Ben Tollitt and Alex Reid both missed chances at the weekend, and Unsworth wants his side to be less fearful about making mistakes.

He said: "The times when we did play and get the ball down and did the things we'd worked on in training, I actually said to the players at half-time, 'Where is the team I see every day in training? Where is that team?'

"It's easy in training. The mentality now is to go over that white line and have that sort of 'don't care' attitude where you just don't care about mistakes.

“I think we worry so much but it doesn't surprise me because I've seen it before. What can you do? You've just got to keep going.”