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With only Ryan Williams, Nikki Bull and Ryan Scott contracted to stay at the club for season, the rest are quite simply playing for their Aldershot Town careers — and not many did their case any good.
“It opens up a few doors for the younger players in the side as all realistic chances of a play-off spot are gone now. It's all eyes for next season now.
“I can't think of a home game where we created so few chances, I can't remember their keeper making a save and we didn't do enough to win.
“To lose at home is always bitterly disappointing but to lose with a lack-lustre display like that made it doubly so. It certainly meant more to them than it did to us.”
One thing is for sure now, Brown's line-up for next year will not include Greg Heald, who left the club after Saturday's debacle to pursue a new career outside of the game (see story below).
Just what effect that could have on the Conference's leakiest defence from now until the end of the campaign, only time will tell.
But Heald and the rest of Brown's rearguard weren't to blame for this latest setback – although their only slip led to Michael Coulson scoring the winning goal for the Seadogs on 24 minutes.
Following their fine derby win at Woking in midweek, the Shots were overwhelming favourites to record their fourth successive victory over a Seadogs side, without a win in seven and still smarting from their last-minute home defeat to Canvey Island the same night.
But player/boss Neil Redfearn and his battlers arrived in determined mood and imposed themselves early.
The front two of Coulson and Tony Hackworth constant menaces, while 40-year-old Redfearn rolled back the years to pull the strings from the midfield.
The Shots, in contrast, never really got out of the starting blocks and lost possession all too easily with sloppy passing and a disjointed shape.
Two fine cover tackles from Lewis Hamilton saved the Shots from going down early, while Coulson curled a shot just wide of the upright.
The Seadogs huffed and puffed to gain the upper hand and it was no surprise when they took the lead.
Redfearn's corner from the left sailed over the near post guard of Steve Watson and an unmarked Coulson made no mistake with a free header from six yards out.
Indeed, Redfearn's set-pieces caused Aldershot problems throughout — first just firing past the near post from a 25-yard free-kick, then picking out Hackworth from a corner from the right which caused panic in the home defence.
The Shots, on the other hand, tested keeper Ian Dunbavin all too rarely, although the ex-Halifax man did get down well to cut out Ryan Williams' dangerous cross-cum-shot on his goal-line.
Ian Simpemba then almost capped his home debut with a goal but could only head Darren Barnard's curling cross over the top from the far post.
Brown tried his best to conjure up a winning formula for the Shots, replacing the disappointing Kirk Hudson with the fresh-faced Kyle Matthews, but still he was frustrated by a culmination of back luck, inspired goalkeeping and poor execution.
Leroy Griffiths fired a 20-yard effort against the outside of the post and was denied again when Dunbavin bravely went to ground to scoop the ball from this grasp after Williams delivered dangerously.
Barnard's crosses from the left were also proving a threat — his first eluding the out-stretched Gary Holloway by inches before a second was somehow missed by the head of Nick Crittenden, who must have lost the ball in mid-flight amidst the driving rain.
Scarborough, though, deservedly held onto the points to the obvious delight of their joyous army of fans, but not though to a distraught Brown.
He said: “It was a very disappointing performance as far as we are concerned. We never really got out of the blocks, we were toothless up front and didn't have enough guile to break down a resolute Scarborough defence.”
With thanks to the Aldershot News.