CRAIG HIGNETT, seething after his Hartlepool United players ended their season with a 5-0 defeat, won’t tolerate excuses at Victoria Park.

Pools have finished their campaign with four successive defeats – albeit against one promoted team and three who make up the four in the play-offs.

Plymouth romped to a routine win at Home Park and the Pools boss accused his players of downing tools and being in holiday mode.

The lack of application from his squad angered Hignett.

After the previous week’s home loss to Portsmouth, winger Nathan Thomas claimed that a fine run of form in March, a stint of form which propelled Pools away from any danger at the foot of the table, had taken it out of the players.

Seven games without defeat kept them up, but Hignett flatly rejected Thomas’ notion.

“We had a good run in March, but if you only play for one month when you put everything in for a short spell and that’s all you can do… I haven’t got any time for one-month players,’’ he said.

“If you sign a contract, then tell me you are a one-month player and you can get a deal for a month. If you are a three-month player then I’ll give you three-month. If it’s too hard for you and you haven’t got, I call it bollocks, about you then you are only going to be a League Two player.

“Do it for one week and then have two or three off, then do it again for a week…. Players in the Premier League and the Championship do it week after week after week.’’

Hignett’s previous coaching role was at Middlesbrough – where players made the play-offs last season, before being promoted this.

And he added: “You get consistency at higher levels. Look at the successful teams in this league, they have consistency. They might not do it week after week, but the consistency is there and they get the results. That’s the difference.

“But you can’t go from being right up there to right down there in your consistency levels week after week.’’

However, for all of Saturday’s failings, Hignett did admit last week that he understood the mentality of a footballer in easing up as the season comes to a close.

The manner of it on Saturday was to the extreme.

He said: “That’s the second time we’ve been battered since I’ve been here and it’s so disappointing. It’s that end of season feeling about us, I knew that and we have nothing to play for.

“It’s been like that for the last few games now and the attitude would be different if there was something to play for – I’m sure of that.

“You can’t turn it on and off when they want to. They have to do it every week and that’s what I’m demanding next season.’’