By all accounts the Latics were never in the game as Nottingham Forest cruised to their second win in as manay games under new manager Dougie Freedman.
The Latics meanwhile have managed just one win and a draw in fourteen games under Mackay's stewardship.
Speaking about the game he said: “I thought we started fairly well tonight but again we gave a poor goal away before half time and then after that we just didn’t look as if we could get in their box.
“We were second best all over the pitch tonight and having too many players under par on one evening ends up in a result like that.
“Coming off the back of the last couple of weeks where they’ve all been at it, I would say there were maybe only three of our players tonight who showed anything like what they are capable of and numbers like that cause us problems.”
The result left the Latics eight points (plus goal difference) adrift of safety at the wrong end of the table.
Only Blackpool's attrocious season is saving the club's blushes at the foot of the table.
Next up is the trip to face Reading on Saturday where Mackay is hoping to put on a better display for the travellnig supporters.
He added: "We have to work hard to rectify what happened ahead of Reading, we had a good group of fans who came over here tonight and we certainly have to do better than we did tonight, for them.”