Sydney FC captain Alex Wilkinson has apologised to Sky Blues fans as the A-League Men powerhouse continues to reel from its disastrous 4-0 derby loss to Western Sydney.
The Sky Blues suffered their biggest defeat in the fixture's history on Saturday night, with former Sydney pair Milos Ninkovic and Calem Nieuwenhof bringing their old side undone.
The defeat piled further pressure on under-fire coach Steve Corica and while Sydney remain sixth, they appear increasingly vulnerable to being caught by the finals-chasing pack.
Wilkinson, who has won three premierships, three championships and an Australia Cup, said he and his teammates had let their supporters down, but was adamant the Sky Blues could yet make the finals and contend for silverware.
"We know how disappointed our members will be feeling right now. It's never a great feeling to lose or to lose a derby, but to do it in that manner is devastating," Wilkinson told the club's website.
"They deserve better; much, much better. As players we know we've let them down and offer no excuses, we just need to give everything in the next few weeks to put it right.
"There are five crucial games coming up and we need to perform to ensure we make (the) finals series.
"We have the players in this squad who are good enough to do that, and once we are there, then we'll have as good a chance as anyone of winning another title.
"However, we need our members and fans to stick with us to achieve that and as a playing group we'll give it our all."
Chief executive Adam Santo echoed Wilkinson's thoughts but was adamant the Sky Blues could turn things around.
"Hugely disappointing result on Saturday night and nowhere near good enough for our club," he said on Twitter.
"Make no mistake I am fully aware of the anger and frustration from our members at the loss. Everyone at the club feels the same way.
"We have five crucial matches remaining before finals and we still have a chance and are determined to win the championship.
"We hope all our loyal members will stick with our boys when we need you most and get behind them. Everyone is going to be working harder than ever to respond in the right way and finish the season strong."
