Chris Davies believes Birmingham’s EFL Trophy defeat to Walsall should serve as a “warning shot” for his players.
The Saddlers won on penalties following a 1-1 draw with a powerful Blues side at St Andrew’s on Tuesday night.
Davies gave Jay Stansfield his first start since his record-breaking transfer from Fulham last Friday, and he joined Alfie May in attack.
“We need to make sure this is a warning shot for future games,” said an angry Davies on BBC Radio WM.
The Blues have 10 points from 12 League One games, but went behind when Charlie Lakin fired the League Two Saddlers ahead on the break against his former club.
Christoph Klarer equalised from a corner on 84 minutes, but Walsall’s defence held firm, and Sam Hornby made two saves to keep Blues out of the shootout in their Southern Group A debut, including the vital stop to deny May.
“It’s obviously frustrating,” Davies explained. “We finished the game strong and pushed for the winning goal, but there wasn’t enough in the first 60 minutes to secure a win.
“We conceded one of the poorest goals you’ll see, and fair play to Walsall for defending their box so brilliantly.
“We need to reflect very honestly on our mindset for the game, what we need to improve and make sure this is a warning shot for future games.”
Davies cited Stansfield and other players receiving minutes as positives, while Ethan Laird and Luke Harris are expected to miss several weeks due to ankle injuries.
He elaborated: “It’s disappointing for those guys to miss time now but that’s why we have a squad.”
With Saturday’s trip to Exeter postponed due to international call-ups, the Blues will not play again until September 16th at 20:00 BST against Wrexham.
Davies continued, “We’ve had a good start to the season from our perspective.
“What we need to do now is make sure we reset mentally and physically, ready for a big push throughout September and October.”