Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin admitted defeat at Montrose was unacceptable but remained calm over the process of integrating new players.
Graham Webster struck the only goal at Links Park on Tuesday after pouncing on a short back-pass from Ross Graham.
United had needed a stoppage-time penalty to beat Stirling on Saturday and now host Arbroath on Saturday knowing there is little room for error.
Goodwin fielded five new signings and handed 18-year-old defender Keir Gilligan a debut, and he recognised the difficulty of hitting the ground running in the Premier Sports Cup group stage.
“I think it’s normal for such a new group of players to not quite have that understanding and not quite gelling the way that we would like at this early stage, but I would still expect us as the Premiership team with the quality of players that we have to have at least scored a goal or two,” he said in a club video.
“When you give lower-league opposition the kind of gift that we did in the first half, it allows them then to drop really deep and get 10 or 11 men behind the ball in the second half. They defended their box for their lives and they deserve a lot of credit for that.
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“We had a couple of corners cleared off the line. Jesse Mitsoko was really unfortunate with the little bit of skill to lose the defender and he was kind of falling backwards in the end when he took the shot and wasn’t able to get that purchase.
“But look, it’s not acceptable, we know that. For me as the manager, I’ve got to accept the criticism that comes our way.
“You’re on a hiding to nothing in these games as the Premiership team. They come around too early, we know that. The team is not quite fit enough.
“It’s a group of players that have only been together for three weeks, so I think it’s only normal that they don’t have that understanding that you would expect.
“But it’ll come. And look, we’re still in the competition, that’s the bottom line. For as disappointed as we are to lose, there have been teams in the past, I believe, that have won the groups with nine points.
“Yes, we’re relying on favours now. But we’ve got to believe at home in the next two games against Arbroath and Spartans, we’ve got more than enough to go and win both those games.
“We’ll have no excuse about surfaces or the grass being too long and dry on Saturday or playing on astroturf. We’re going to go and play at our home stadium, the pitch looks immaculate, it’ll be watered, and there’ll be absolutely no excuses whatsoever.”
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