Didcot Town boss Gary Elkins says his players must show more passion or they will be shown the door.

On Saturday, Didcot dropped into the bottom three of Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West after a 4-1 defeat at fellow strugglers Bishops Cleeve.

And Elkins says the rot has to stop, starting with tonight’s visit of Shortwood United to the npower Loop Meadow Stadium.

“We were very poor on Saturday,” said Elkins. “Josh Webb (on loan from Reading) was one of only two or three players that deserved any credit from our performance.

“It’s all right playing when the pitches are good, the sun is shining and the team is doing well, but we have got to get it into the players’ heads that you aren’t going to be able to play passing football in every game, so you have to adapt. “If they can’t understand that then it’s not good enough.

“I’m completely unhappy where we are now – the players need to show more fight, more spirit.

“And if they are not prepared to do that, then I will have to let a few players go. “I would rather have a couple of kids in the team because they have pride and passion in playing for the club.

“Some players here haven’t got enough about them in a dogfight – they are not strong or committed enough.

“Our next five or six games are going to be battles – we’ve got Paulton, Abingdon United and we play Yate, who are at the bottom, in two weeks – so we have to roll up our sleeves.”

Didcot welcome back Morgan Williams and Brian Bowles to the squad after injury and sickness respectively, Meanwhile, Elkins’s hopes of bringing in North Leigh striker John Mills and ex-Witney Town frontman Conor Mc-Donagh have ended.

Elkins added: “I spoke to them both last week. “John said North Leigh had been good to him and he wanted to stay.

“Conor (who trained with North Leigh last week) messed me about a bit.

“He said he was happy with what we offered him, but then said he wanted more money. “I think he played us and North Leigh off against each other.

“So the search goes on.”

Didcot Tn: from Belloli-Pereira, Elkins, Casson, Osborne-Ricketts, Thomas, Stan-ley, Tappin, Heapy, Clark, Haysham, Webb, Browne, M Williams, B Bowles, Harris, Bernasconi, Pereira.