Scott Lindsey criticised York City for the soft underbelly which saw them lose a Football League Trophy time on penalties which they ought to have won outright.

The Minstermen were comfortably the better side in their group game at home to Rotherham United until they conceded a poor goal from their perspective scored by Sheffield United loanee Jili Buyabu in the 57th minute.

From there, helped by a strong bench, the Millers were the better side.

But after a 1-1 draw, Buyabu scored the decisive penalty to see his team through 5-4 in the end-of-game shoot-out.

Lindsey was taking it very badly.

"I'm really disappointed, actually, to lose the game, because we don't normally lose football matches here," said Lindsey, who inherited the Conference champions in the summer. "I felt it was a really good opportunity for us to win a game of football.

"We were excellent in the first half and we got a little bit loose in the second half.

"We've made changes, I know we've had a couple of injuries as well, and we've put a couple of academy boys on.

ANGRY: York City coach Scott Lindsey (Image: Jonathan Gawthorpe)

placeholder image — ANGRY: York City coach Scott Lindsey (Image: Jonathan Gawthorpe)

"I thought we were better than them and we let them off the hook.

"They're too nice. One long ball down the middle, Ash Palmer heads it into the middle of the pitch and we react so slowly and they get through, we're not narrowed off. We're too open and wide.

"I said to the players at half-time, just because Jack Hunt's not now in the back line, doesn't mean to say we can't be narrower and organised and have good voices in the back line. We still need to have that.

"In that one moment, we weren't, and we were too slow to react to the second ball in the middle of the pitch.

"Then they pick the ball up, slide it through (with Marvin Kaleta), I think two passes and it's in the back of our net. You have to be more aggressive to stop them from hurting you in one moment.

"I'm disappointed, I've just said it, I've just shown my disappointment to the players in there because I want us to have more of a winning mentality.

"I can't have that soft underbelly of not winning a game when you're that good.

"For sure, I think individually there were some good players out there."

York's goal came with a header from Zech Medley but they did not work Rotherham goalkeeper Ted Cann enough when they were on top.