Met Police boss Jim Cooper questioned his play-off chasing squad’s desire after slumping to a Tuesday night drubbing at Enfield Town, writes Tom Ambrose.
 

The Blues went into the Ryman Premier League fixture off the back of three straight wins but their good run came to a halt with a 4-0 loss in north London.
 

And it was a result that left Cooper scratching his head, describing it as the worst performance he had seen in his time at Imber Court.
 

He said: “The lack of desire was clear for all to see – we were outfought and lost our battles all over the pitch.
 

“Their players wanted to win more than ours and there can be no excuses on our part as the pitch on the night was fantastic.
 

“You wouldn’t be able to print what I told the boys in the changing room afterwards but I told them a few home truths.”
 

New boy Charlie Collins  found his way on to the score sheet late on in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Bury Town, after Howard Newton and Craig Watkins – with his fourth goal in as many matches – had given their side a 2-0 advantage at the break.
 

Cooper has over hauled his squad for a play-off surge in 2013, but with the manager using the full quota of his playing budget, he fears the loss of influential midfelder Ty Smith.
 

“We are in a good position to make a run for it. We’re just outside the play-offs and in good form,” he said.
 

“We learned our lesson from last year where we started well, but didn’t strengthen after Christmas and faded.
 

“Ty Smith, pictured below, is the most creative midfield player in the league in my opinion and, while Billy Crook does a similar job to him in there, it would be a blow to lose him to suspension or injury.”
 

The Blues travel to Lewes on Saturday and Cooper reckons the Sussex side will not fancy coming up against a team still licking their wounds from the Enfield debacle. It was a one-off performance as far as I am concerned,” he added.
 

“We’re still in the hunt for the play-offs and that is where we want to be.”