Kevin Van Veen admits Motherwell don't deserve to still have a chance of a Premiership top six place - but must get back to the form that put them there in the first place.
The Dutch striker netted his 10th goal of the season on Saturday but Motherwell lost 2-1 at St Johnstone thanks to Callum Hendry's last-gasp stunner, the second of a double for the Saints striker.
That left Motherwell in eighth spot in the table, but remarkably still a point off the top six, and three from fourth spot, albeit with something of a barrier in terms of goal-difference.
Still looking for their first win since beating Livingston 2-1 on Boxing Day, Well are now 11 games without a victory.
The Steelmen host former boss Stephen Robinson's St Mirren in a fortnight, with a trip to Livingston after that to see if they can secure their spot in the top half of the table before the split.
And Van Veen says they are in no doubt about what they need to do.
He said: "It’s crazy that we are still in there with a chance of top six.
“Let’s be honest, with our performances this year we don’t deserve to be in one of those positions.
“They haven't been good enough. That is just a fact.
“But before that we were good enough and that's what has got us where we are.
“We really have to look at ourselves, including myself.
“I have been poor of late, not in top form.
“I am happy to get a goal but I’d rather have the three points.
“As a team and personally I want to play for those top spots. Hopefully next week we can make it right.”
Having scored the opener after just 12 minutes with a crisp shot into the bottom corner, St Johnstone levelled 10 minutes later when Hendry headed a Melker Hallberg cross into the net.
The game looked to be petering out to a point each until Hendry netted his stunner, but Van Veen still had time to see a free kick brilliantly saved by Zander Clark.
He said: "I am quite angry and brassed off with the result.
“After going one up we dropped off as a team a little bit. We weren't doing the things we did to give us the lead.
“They scored a cheap goal in my opinion. It wasn’t good enough defensively, as a unit.
“It has been a long time since we were last 1-0 up.
“We have always been chasing games but instead of protecting our lead we gave it straight back to them.
“It was frustrating. We hoped to get the second and third goals but it never happened and they scored a world class goal at the end.
“It was a really good goal for them but from our perspective it was very poor defensively from a long kick.
“It was in our own hands and we gave it to them."
On his free kick chance, Van Veen said: "I just tried to hit the target as well as I could and it was a good save.
“It was unlucky it didn’t go in. But that's not what lost us the game.
“We had enough chances before that. We hit the post and we were unlucky. But as a team we have to defend better.
“Lately we have been leaking goals all over the pitch and it is not only defenders, all of us need to be better and more resilient.
“Defending starts from the frontline.
“If we had defended better it could have been 1-0."
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