Steven Pressley says Coventry City players will be 'shipped out'

City boss Steven Pressley was upset by the Sky Blues' display against Carl Heeley's Worcester

Coventry City manager Steven Pressley says he is ready to "ship out" several of his under-performing Sky Blues players, who he claims are "letting the club down".

The League One side were knocked out at the first-round stage of the FA Cup by non-league Worcester City on Sunday.

"An incident occurred after the game that told me everything I need to know about certain players," said Pressley.

"And they will be gone. They will be banished from this football club."

The Sky Blues' first FA Cup exit to a non-league side since being knocked out by Sutton United in 1989 comes on top of Coventry's indifferent league form.

Since the euphoria died following their return to the Ricoh Arena in early September, and the securing of the highly-rated Pressley on a new four-year contract, City have won just once in nine League One games, to slump within two points of the relegation zone.

"The truth is that certain players are letting this club down," Pressley told BBC Coventry & Warwickshire. "They will be shipped out.

"I'm a manager who continually defends his players. But I'm not happy with them at all. I feel so strongly about this. I had a meeting with the players yesterday and told them exactly how it was.

"They get everything they need here, the proper preparation and all the small details from us which make the difference, yet they don't deliver.

"Relationships work both ways. I have to see a mirror image of what I expect in my players and unfortunately, in certain players, I'm not seeing that.

"From my teams, the one thing I expect is passion and desire. And we've got players at this football club to whom it doesn't mean enough. They have got to stand up and show their courage.

"Certain players are in a comfort zone and it is simply not acceptable. We went down with a whimper on Sunday. Worcester wanted it more and I will not accept that."

City's next game is in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy when they host Plymouth Argyle on Wednesday night and, in a bid to halt the Sky Blues' general slump in attendances, the club have reduced the admission price to £5.