John O'Shea, the captain against Coventry, said: "The lads know they should have done better. For some reason, the technique and ability we know these young players have just wasn't there, which was a big disappointment.
"Obviously, the manager learns a lot more from the players in games like this, but these players do have quality. All we can do now is try to bounce back, make sure we work hard in training and put pressure on the lads in the first team.
"Coventry just seemed to get on top of us and we didn't manage to get that lucky break, or a goal that would have settled everyone down. But even if we had clawed it back, it would have been unfair on Coventry. They were better than us and they deserved to win."