Sean Dyche expressed his intense frustration with Nottingham Forest’s lackluster first-half performance after their FA Cup defeat to Wrexham on penalties. Dyche went so far as to say he would have substituted the entire team at halftime if it were possible.

Nottingham Forest faced humiliation as they headed into halftime trailing 2-0. Wrexham’s Liberato Cacace and Oliver Rathbone scored rapid goals, leaving the Premier League side reeling.

In an attempt to turn the game around, Dyche made strategic changes during the break. His team showed some resilience, narrowing the gap with a goal from Igor Jesus in the 64th minute. However, Wrexham’s Dominic Hyam dashed their hopes with another goal just 10 minutes later.

After the third-round exit, Dyche did not hold back his disappointment, criticizing the players for their first-half display. He repeatedly described their efforts as “absolutely unacceptable” during his post-match remarks.

“The first half was completely unacceptable,” Dyche stated, clearly agitated. “I made it clear to the players, and certain individuals need to reflect on their performances.”

Sean Dyche ripped into his Nottingham Forest players after losing on penalties to Wrexham

The Championship club pulled off a huge upset, winning 4-3 on penalties after a 3-3 draw

‘But, the strangeness of football, I thought the players that came on in the second half were a credit, and we went on and looked like a Premier League side.

‘Callum’s [Hudson-Odoi] two goals brilliant from him, and we get back in it, and then as you know penalties are a lottery. We’ve created enough chances to win the game but we didn’t in the end. You can’t do that in the first half, completely unacceptable, to me, but also I told them to look in the mirror because that is unacceptable to the badge as well.

‘It’s one of those isn’t it? They all knock on your door and say: “Why aren’t I playing?” – well, the evidence is quite honestly there. For some, not for all. That’s what football is. You’ve got to train right all the time and you’ve got to prepare right because when your day comes you’ve got to be ready. Too many were not ready in the first half.

‘I must credit the lads in the second half, they acted as a catalyst and livened a few up, including myself, and in the second half onwards I thought we looked like we should do. 

‘But you can’t give teams a head start in football. Credit to them, I’m not taking anything away from them, absolutely. Penalties is a tough one and we know that, credit to them for going through. But absolutely unacceptable first half from our point of view.

Asked if he could have made more changes than he did at half time, Dyche replied: ‘I’d have taken all of them off, including myself probably. Look, the tempo, the mentality to take the game on was lacking so badly in the first half. It was slow, methodical, we’ve done a lot of work with them on that. No intent and no desire to make a difference. Second half, after the changes, I thought they were terrific.’ 

Friday’s defeat comes just a few days after Forest secured a dramatic late 2-1 win over West Ham in the Premier League, earning all three points thanks to an 89th-minute penalty from Morgan Gibbs-White.

Callum Hudson-Odoi managed to force extra time with two goals after Wrexham went 3-1 up 

Meanwhile Wrexham, who sit ninth in the Championship, will take confidence from beating Premier League opposition as they look to make a push for the playoff spots.

Manager Phil Parkinson declared that Wrexham had ‘made our own history’ by adding Forest to their list of famous FA Cup scalps.

Dyche’s side were the first Premier League team Wrexham have faced since Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney took over the club five years ago, and Parkinson said the win would be remembered down the years.

‘We asked if could make our own history tonight and we’ve certainly done that. I was delighted by the way we played. We would have loved to have won it in normal time but we wanted a bit more excitement.

‘(The victory) has highlighted the importance of the squad. We always carried a threat, even when there was fatigue in the legs. Of course, we got punished in some key moments but that’s what happens against Premier League players. When it went to extra time, everybody rallied. The players rallied. The supporters rallied.’ 

Parkinson paid tribute to his matchwinner, goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo, who saved two penalties in the shoot-out just weeks after a howler at Swansea City which gifted victory to the South Wales club. ‘Arthur is a colossus,’ he said. ‘Such a presence in the goal you always feel have a chance with him between the sticks.’