Ian McCall branded his Ayr United side "woeful" after they blew a last 16 place in the Betfred Cup.
The Honest Men served up a Somerset shocker as they went down on penalties to Stranraer.
And that ended hopes of a money spinning knockout tie, which McCall was hoping would bolster his squad.
The boss said: "We were woeful from start to finish and it's very, very disappointing.
"We were trying to play fantasy football at times and it won't work in the Championship.
"It's clear we need a bit of strength in the team.
"We're used to success in this tournament but the financial thing meant a lot to us this year as it would have allowed us to move one or two things about, but that's gone now.
"I don't think anyone turned up today and to lose two goals from set plays was hugely disappointing."
Ayr had started with a flourish thanks to Michael Moffat's goal inside just two minutes.
But in truth it proved to be a false dawn and although further chances came and went for Kris Doolan and Moffat, Ayr rarely looked in control.
So it was no surprise when Stranraer levelled through Adam Cummins, who rose to power home a free header from a James Hilton corner.
But the game's one true moment of quality came straight after as Ayr raced to the other end and restored their lead.
New boy Stephen Kelly, on loan from Rangers, curled a delightful 25 yard free kick into the top corner to underline why Steven Gerrard rates the Ibrox kid so highly.
But the Blues were back on the front foot after the restart and Ayr's midfield was struggling to get any grip of the game.
However, they almost extended their lead against the run of play when subs Craig McGuffie and Alan Forrest combined with the latter seeing his shot cleared off the line by Cummins.
That set the stage for Cummins to to become the hero at the other end as he rose to bullet home another free header and send the game to penalties.
And after ten perfect spot kicks, Daniel Harvie missed for Ayr, allowing Ross Thomson to step up and secure the win for the Blues.
Stranraer boss Stevie Farrell said: "We thoroughly deserved it and bossed the second half."
