OWEN Dale says he and his Oxford United teammates were ‘disappointed and embarrassed’ after an ‘unacceptable’ performance in their 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Bolton Wanderers.

The U’s were second best against a Trotters side which dominated from pretty much the first whistle.

While the only stats which truly matter are the goals for and against, United were also outclassed by their opponents in terms of possession and attempts.

Des Buckingham’s side had just 36 per cent of the ball, and failed to register a single shot on target from their four efforts. Bolton meanwhile had 20 shots, eight of which were on target.

The hosts also completed 533 passes, compared to 309 for the U’s, while Ian Evatt’s team had 732 touches of the ball, with United managing 478.

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Dale said the display cannot be brushed under the carpet, and must be examined ahead of Saturday’s trip to a Port Vale side sitting second from bottom in Sky Bet League One.

The former Blackpool winger said: “From minute one, they had our number. We weren’t good enough, and we need to look at it, and figure out why it happened, and really take a look at ourselves as a team, and rectify it to make sure it never happens again.

“We couldn’t get a grip of the game. It’s a tough one to reflect on. We need to look at it and find some answers, and make sure it never happens again.

“It’s important that it gets looked at, it has to be looked at. We can’t just brush this one under the carpet, it has to be addressed.

“It can’t knock us too much. We look at it, we deal with it, we figure out what happened, and then we move onto the game on Saturday.

“We have to react and it’s imperative that we react, and that we win that game.”

Asked about the mood in the changing room at the full-time whistle, Dale responded: “It’s not a quiet dressing room in there. We take accountability for everything, it’s a good group like that.

“We’re all very disappointed and embarrassed with the way the game has gone. There’s nobody in that dressing room hiding. I’m not hiding, this group’s not hiding. We’ll look to rectify this game.”

He added: “This one hurts, and I’ll say this now – apologies to the fans who have watched it tonight. It’s an unacceptable performance, and there’s a lot more to this group.

“That shouldn’t happen to this group. The group’s too good for that, but it has happened and it’s something we need to rectify and make sure it never happens again.”