Ben Dempsey insists Ayr must go back to basics to halt their form slump.
United have hit the skids after an electric start to the season which saw them set the Championship pace.
The Honest Men ended the weekend eight points off the top after a damaging night in Kirkcaldy on Friday. And Dempsey insists the limp nature of their defeat at Raith in front of the TV cameras must be addressed.
The skipper told the Ayrshire Post: “It’s hard to put your finger on the performance. They were first to everything and we made it easy for them all night.
“We just didn’t create anything or turn them in behind at all. We were in the dressing room for a long time afterwards discussing where we’ve gone wrong.
“There is a tough month ahead and we need to fix it. We don’t know what’s happened because it’s the same group of players that started the season so well.
“So we need to get back to basics and go from there. We have a chance on the TV next week to respond and as a group we have to show that we can bounce back from setbacks.”
Meanwhile, boss Scott Brown has warned he expects an immediate reaction from his players when Ayr are back on the box this Friday night at Morton.
Brown told the Post: “Nobody has a right to play in that team after Friday’s performance. We were slow and took no real risks anywhere on the pitch and players didn’t want to take responsibility on the ball.
“We need a reaction – simple as that. Positions are up for grabs in our team and we’ll base a lot of it on training this week.”