Albion Rovers boss Brian Reid admits he didn’t see the thrashing at the hands of Annan coming after their biggest defeat of the season kept them bottom of League Two at Christmas.
The Cliftonhill side dominated the first half and took a 1-0 lead into the interval at Galabank, thanks to Kyle Fleming’s 11th minute opener on Friday night.
Charlie Reilly failed to convert a couple of big chances as he went one-on-one with Annan keeper Greg Fleming and that came back to haunt them in the second half.
Aidan Smith pulled Annan level two minutes after the re-start and then the floodgates opened as strikes from Chris Johnston and Tommy Muir quickly made it 3-1, before Max Kilsby and Dom Docherty completed the rout.
Rovers are now two points adrift of Forfar at the foot of the table and gutted Reid said: “It was certainly a game of two halves.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say we should have been three or four up at half-time, but not taking chances or killing teams off is the story of our season.
"It's not even difficult chances. It's easy ones we've got to put away. If you don't do that you get punished and it is a sore one to take.
"If we get a second and third goal that would have been the game finished but we lose a terrible goal a minute into the second half and that gives them a lift.
“Then it becomes a different game and we just defended really poorly after that.
“It’s not like us because most of the season we have defended well. Our goals against record has been decent so it was a big surprise to see us blown away like that.
“That’s the heaviest defeat we’ve had all season. We’ve never conceded more than two goals before so it’s a surprise.
“It doesn’t make our Christmas any better. Nobody wants to be bottom at Christmas.
“At half-time we were sitting sixth in the table and at the end of the game we are bottom.”That’s the fine lines we are dealing with. It’s so tight.”
Charlie Reilly's chances were big moments in the game but Reid refused to lame the blame at the League Two player of the month for November, who has hit 11 goals in 24 appearances from midfield.
Reid added: "We can't point the finger at anybody in particular because everyone misses chances and Charlie has been brilliant for us all season. Everybody has those games so I certainly can't have a go at Charlie.
"He will know himself he should score and he's usually very clinical.
"The goalkeeper has made a couple of good saves as well, but it's gone now, we can't do anything about it, we just need to pick ourselves up."
Rovers now await the visit of league leaders Dumbarton on Hogmanay.
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