Lee Bullen admits his Ayr side got a reality check after coming back to earth with a bump against Queens.
Victories on the road against Kilmarnock and Inverness had sent United into this clash with their tails up.
But a flat display saw them surrender to the league's bottom dogs - and left Bullen cursing a lack of intensity from his troops.
He said: "If you want to be successful at any level of football, you need to find consistency.
"I felt we had done that in the five games prior to this.
"Today that was a reality check for us.
"I've been driving it home all week how difficult this game was going to be and stressed how important it was that we started the game right.
"If we got our mentality and our workrate spot on from the start, we knew we'd have half a chance.
"But we didn't do that and that's hugely disappointing.
"It pains me to say that they looked hungrier, were sharper on the second balls and we were a yard off it.
"The beginning of the game set the tone and we were playing catch up from there.
"We're better than we showed today.
"Give Queens credit, they put up a decent performance but I can only look at us and that's below the standards we set.
"We had a couple of half chances at the end but we've got to be far better than we showed today.
"We have to revert back to the kind of performances we have been showing and the good thing about football is we get a quick chance to do that at Raith next Saturday."
The absence of Andy Murdoch meant one enforced change from the Inverness win, with Bullen opting to push Aaron Muirhead back up to midfield while Jack Baird returned in defence.
But Ayr lacked any real sparkle in a quiet opening and it was Queens who slowly took control as the first half wore on.
They came close to an opener after half an hour when Innes Cameron touched a Ruari Paton cross just past the upright.
However, they soon got the goal their growing pressure deserved when Aidan Fitzpatrick had time to measure a cracking low finish from 25 yards to put them in front.
Mark McKenzie lashed over as Ayr tried for a response before the break.
United started the second half on top and James Maxwell almost pulled them level.
But Paton came close to doubling the Queens lead at the other end as the game swung both ways.
And Josh Todd then fired inches wide as they looked to kill the game.
Queens could have clinched it when sub Alistair Roy headed on to the post before Ayr's Sam Ashford blew a golden chance near the end with a header sent straight at Joshua Rae.
Ayr sub Tomi Adeloye then grazed the bar at the death with another header as Queens held on for the points.
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