Neil Critchley took aim at his misfiring QPR players after they slumped to a shock 2-1 FA Cup defeat at League One Fleetwood.

The Hoops took the lead in the first half through Sam Field but were immediately pegged back by Aristote Nsiala just minutes later.

And the third-tier hosts found a winner in the second half through Promise Omochere to dump the Championship side out in the third round.

Critchley said: “I’ll choose my words carefully.

“Angry, frustrating, bewildering, but I suspected that a little bit from looking at this team from afar. Look at how last season finished, before I was here.

“We need to do something about that. It’s not acceptable. Mediocrity is not something I want to be involved with.”

The defeat came less than a week after a promising 1-1 draw against the Championship’s second-place side Sheffield United.

“That is unfortunately the tale of this group a little bit: inconsistency,” Critchley added.

“We took a step forward in terms of our performance against Sheffield United, and we’ve taken a big step back today.

“I had that feeling that we weren’t there, focussed, concentrated on the job.

“We were miles off it."

QPR started poorly but had managed to exert some control on the game before scrambling in from a set piece.

Nsiala equalised with a free header at the back-post from a corner before Omochere grabbed the winner in the 67th minute.

Critchley said: “We scored and I actually turned to the staff and said that might be the worst thing that’s happened because we now think the game’s easy, and our reaction to going 1-0 up was horrendous.

“They nearly scored from the kick off, we weren’t ready. We gave away a cheap goal two or three minutes later.”

“The amount of time and space he had in the box, it would be difficult to miss that chance.

“A horrendous piece of defending. You’re gifting them a goal.

“Having said that, we didn't do enough at the other end.

“For all our ability at the top end of the pitch we’re not producing. It’s an issue.”

The QPR boss, who has been in post for less than a month, insisted that he had adequately prepared his players for the game despite defeat.

Critchley, whose side sit 12th in the Championship table and travel to Reading next weekend, said: “It’s not like we hadn’t prepared, it’s not like the message wasn’t given to the players of what type of game it was going to be.

“I warned the players at half-time that I’ve been in this situation millions of times, if our attitude and mentality do not change we will lose this game of football.”