Phil Parkinson pulled no punches after casting an eye over a 5-1 mauling for Altrincham at National League promotion hopefuls Solihull Moors and describing it as ‘absolutely unacceptable’.

After seeing the club turn professional during the summer and having the players at his disposal on a daily basis, Parkinson was convinced five-goal drubbings were be a thing of the past for his full-time Robins.

But that was Alty’s fate at Damson Park on Saturday, and a defeat that left them second-from-bottom in the table had the Robins boss fuming: “I truly thought days like these were behind us, and I’m extremely disappointed with the performance.

“That’s what I was holding on to - the fact that the performances have been good, even if we haven’t won yet.

“But that scoreline is absolutely unacceptable. If you can’t defend with intent, aggression and intensity and you can’t win your individual battles, that is what happens against very good players.

“They were clinical; they exploited pretty much all of the weaknesses we showed on the day.

“We will have a drop-off every now and then, but when that does happen, it can’t be five goals conceded. That is a no-no. It can’t happen again.

“Aaron Bennett scored a good individual goal for us, but he is getting his eyes opened to how hard you have to work in this league. He was not alone. Overall, the work-rate was not there, and that is something we have to address quickly.”

Alty signed Stoke duo Eddy Jones and Dan Malone on loan before kick off, and Parkinson added: “Eddy was really solid at left-back, and Josh Lundstram was man-of-the-match for me, outstanding. Chris Conn-Clarke had a bit of a go, but that is as far as I can go with any positive comments.”

Alty face Wealdstone at The J.Davidson Stadium on Saturday (3pm) and then take on Scunthorpe United, the only team below them, in another key home game on Tuesday (7.45pm).