Benson wants Hatters to pick themselves up quickly

Town have endured a miserable run on the road recently, with just one victory in 13 attempts, but Benson, who made his return to the squad for the 2-0 loss at Portsmouth on Saturday, said: “There’s no time for sulking, it’s time for standing up, being men, looking at yourself in the mirror, trying to improve your game and then hopefully if you can do that, it can help everyone in the team.

“The team spirit’s still there, that hasn’t changed. One thing I’ve noticed having been out and coming back, the team spirit is exactly the same, so it’s not that.

“If other players have confidence issues, that’s understandable as we’ve lost four of the last five.

“But we’re all grown men, we’ve got to try and work hard and get ourselves out of this little spell we’re in and come stronger.”

Boss John Still also didn’t think there was anything wrong with the players focus and hopes his side can use their poor run of results as a spur in the future.

He added: “We haven’t entered a game without confidence. I have to say this, I always speak as I see it, the attitude, atmosphere, focus day to day with the players has been terrific.

“To lose goals late in games is a sickener, it does knock you but I haven’t seen it in them, I really haven’t.

“I’ve just seen them get up and go again, and as I said to them, the only way to get out of a blip individually is to keep doing what you’re doing and keep working hard.

“Because football is football and it happens. Sometimes you lose form in whatever you do, there’s only one way to get it back and that’s to work hard.

“They’ve worked very, very hard, so as far as we’re all concerned here, it’s business as normal.

“Some time in a years time or two years time, we may be facing this same prospect. It won’t be new to some of these players, they’ve been there before and done it before and had to deal with it before, so maybe we’ll deal with it a bit quicker then.”