Lucas Akins says he did not see Burton Albion's capitulation at the hands of Hull City coming at such a crucial stage of the season.
Akins played the full 90 minutes as the Brewers fell to their heaviest home defeat in the Championship, with the Tigers running out 5-0 winners to nudge Albion a step closer to relegation.
With a seven-point gap between themselves and safety ahead of kick-off, Nigel Clough's side knew the importance of ending their eight-month wait for a home victory if they were to reignite a miraculous push for survival.
But other than a notable penalty shout and a promising start to the second half, they rarely looked like troubling the in-form visitors.
And Akins was not in any mood to provide excuses for a costly evening's work.
"It was a very hard one to take," said the versatile Burton forward, who was the hosts' best player on the night.
"There was so much riding on the game, and it's all about the result at this stage of the season - and obviously it's a terrible result at home.
"It's bitterly disappointing that we've produced that at this crucial stage of the season.
"We are talking about trying to give ourselves the best possible opportunity, and we didn't see it coming really, in terms of preparation and how everyone has reacted to how the season has gone so far.
"We hold our hands up and take full responsibility for that, that's all we can do."
