After tonight’s 2-0 defeat to Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup, Neil Harris had a blunt message for his Cambridge United players – ‘get back to the levels you’ve shown, or I’ll make changes’.

Overall, the U’s have made a positive start to life back in League One this season following promotion. They sit eighth and have recorded eye-catching victories over the likes of Bradford City and Reading, as well as collecting draws away at Sheffield Wednesday and Oxford United.

But there have been signs lately that United’s once positive form has started to tail off.

They have won none of their last four league games, and while Tuesday night offered some relief in the form of a 6-0 win over Brighton & Hove Albion Under-21s in the Jersey Mike’s Trophy, tonight Harris admitted his team deserved nothing against their lower-level hosts.

And he revealed that he has told the squad that he will not be afraid to dip into the January transfer market if performances and results do not turn.

He said: “We’ve done monumentally well to get 21 points from 14 league games.

“And when I talk about reality setting in, let’s all just take a moment and look at what we’ve got here, where we are budget-wise and what we’ve achieved – it’s not bad.

“But I’ve left the players in no uncertain terms. Some will have never experienced that changing room and my honesty and frankness, and the fact I look them in the eye and tell them straight.

“They have to be better every week. If they drop the levels, then they’re not going to play in my team.

“The January window is coming, and as much as we’ve done brilliant, the warning now is – get back to the levels you’ve shown, or I’ll make changes.”

Cambridge have next weekend off due to international call-ups, with their return to action scheduled for 21 November when second-placed Stockport County visit the Cledara Abbey Stadium.