THERE are moments which come to define every season.

At first glance, a 2-0 defeat to the side bottom of the table would not appear to hint at a campaign which is full of promise.

But it is often said bosses learn more from their players in defeat than in victory and Michael Appleton had plenty to say in the wake of the loss at Shrewsbury Town last weekend.

“I used the phrase ‘line in the sand’ on Monday after the meeting,” he said.

“Sometimes it’s a good thing, I had it in my first season when it made things clear for me – players that needed to move on, players I wanted to stay, players I wanted to bring in.

“It was one of those moments when we played Cambridge in the first season and possibly Saturday might have been one of those moments as well.”

Last season’s promotion can be traced back to Appleton’s darkest day in charge of United, the 5-1 loss at Cambridge United in October 2014.

While it was a disaster at the time, the thrashing prompted the head coach to re-evaluate his plans.

It may have taken time to bear fruit, but the soul-searching in the aftermath put United on a path to success.

The scale of the problem this time may not be as great, but again it feels as though the side are at a fork in the road ahead of Coventry City’s visit tomorrow.

Appleton said: “It wasn’t necessarily based on what happened on Saturday, but it was almost a lightbulb moment, where it’s probably been building over a period of time.

“I’ve been trying to figure out where people fit in and where they don’t.

“Since then I’ve had a few days to reflect and regroup.

“Monday was a hard one because you’ve got to try and pick yourself up, never mind 30 other people.

“It was a low point, but it’s amazing, the next day I felt on top of the world again. That’s football.

“The reaction we got from the players on Tuesday was outstanding.”

Appleton was speaking at Bisham Abbey, where United trained yesterday and today.

The trip to the Berkshire facility was booked a fortnight ago and could hardly have been better timed.

The pristine pitches are a big attraction, but the decision to stay overnight also offers an opportunity for greater contact time than in a normal week training at Roman Way.

For the United boss, it meant the squad could be given a refresher course in the club’s ethos.

He said: “We’ll go through some of the stuff we used quite well to our advantage last year in terms of what we do off the field.

“Last season we were fortunate enough to get 95 per cent of the recruitment done by day one of pre-season.

“This year was a bit different.

“The work on the standards we set and what’s expected off the field has been done this year, but it’s been done in bits and pieces.

“Now we get a few hours to say ‘this is what we’re about and how we do things – if you want to be part of it, great, if not, there’s the door’.”

He added: “We have a big week with three games.

“It can be devastating to a club but it can be fantastic as well.

“Things can turn round quickly and that’s what we’re hoping it will do.”