The 2-0 loss to AFC Fylde left the Red Dragons boss with a lot to say after the Vanarama National League club’s proud 11-game run came to an abrupt halt. Watch Match Highlights Here.
Keates accepted his players were second best at Mill Farm - but promised the “tremendous” supporters that there will be a reaction on Saturday when they host Leyton Orient.
“It wasn’t an off night, it was by far the worst performance of the season,” said a clearly frustrated Keates.
“All I can do is apologise to the fans. It was another unbelievable following and what we produced wasn’t good enough. They deserved a lot more than that.
“We’ve cleared the air, got a few things off our chest and I can’t make excuses. Yes we didn’t have Shaun Pearson but you need to be able to cope and we fell well short of the standard we’ve been setting.
“All I can say to the fans is that there will be a reaction come Saturday.”