Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew has declared that the starting XI he picked to face Brighton & Hove Albion were not up to the task.
The Magpies slipped to an FA Cup exit at the hands of the Seagulls for the second consecutive season in a disappointing 2-0 defeat.
An inexperienced side was led by captain Shola Ameobi, but he was sent off after the interval for a second bookable offence.
Pardew believes that his side are struggling to cope with a string of injuries and has admitted that he may be forced back into the transfer market to rectify the situation.
He told BBC Sport: "We didn't have enough quality players on the pitch for a Newcastle team, we are missing so many players. Our younger players gave everything they could but it wasn't enough and it didn't help when we went down to 10 men.
"For us, the season we are having, we just need to get our best players back and quickly. We need to sustain ourselves in the Premier League. We want to stay there but we are in danger and we need to get our best players out on the pitch.
"If I am being honest that team is a shadow of the team we put out last season. We need to get some bigger players back, who can handle the situation of carrying the Newcastle jersey. Whether that is a signing or a case of getting some of them back fit, I don't know."
The Magpies were without key players Fabricio Coloccini and Papiss Cisse for the Brighton trip after the pair picked up knocks late this week.
Liam Power
