Stuart McCall has defended Omar Daley against accusations he is lazy - but he admits the Jamaican needs to work on his body language.

Daley came in for some vitriolic abuse from a section of the crowd during Tuesday's draw with Barnet and was subbed at half-time.

Some City fans claim the winger has not been putting in maximum effort for the cause since signing a new contract in January, a charge that is totally refuted by his boss.

McCall, though, concedes that Daley's natural laid-back manner does not help - something he pointed out during a 90-minute chat between the pair yesterday.

"Every player is different and sometimes Omar's body language and his reaction to things does not look the best," said McCall.

"But if for any second I didn't think he wanted to be here, then he wouldn't be.

"Omar openly admits he's not been the same person in the last month or so and his confidence is shaky but he assures me he is desperate to be successful for this club, loves being here and is 100 per cent focused on doing well again."

McCall and Daley went through the video from the Barnet game, where the City boss highlighted instances when the winger looked as if he was not totally switched on.

"We just went through things in his game and Omar didn't realise half the stuff he was doing. It wasn't done to slaughter or criticise but to help him and he's taken it on board.

"Body language is the main thing with supporters and they jump on that. It's not so much a disappointing cross or bad pass but the reaction after that.

"The majority of fans will tolerate an indifferent performance from players as long as they see absolute dedication and effort. They see Omar's laid-back nature and think that maybe he is not trying enough.

"Omar signed the new deal and it's an easy thing to target but that's a cop-out; he's just lost a bit of form and his confidence is shaky.

"But I've still got full belief in him and know he will be a threat for us. It's just getting the best out of him. I've probably sat down with Omar more this season than anybody else in the squad.

"It's easy to look for people's weaknesses. I know what Omar possesses and what he can do. You ask any full back in this league and none of them would want to be up against Omar Daley in full flow."

The absence of Donovan Ricketts, which has coincided with Daley's slump, could also be a factor.

McCall said: "Psychologically he's probably missing his big pal Donovan. He was a bit of a father figure.

"When Omar came over, there was JJ (Jermaine Johnson) and Donovan. Then JJ left and maybe he has relied on Donovan at times.

"But the criticism won't help. If somebody's going through a bad time, it doesn't make them play better."

Peter Thorne has recovered from a hip niggle and returns to the squad to face Brentford.

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