Manager Keith Hill reflects on his side’s 2-0 defeat to league leaders Luton Town at Kenilworth Road…
“There was plenty of fight, plenty of determination and we made some typically wrong decisions, but I thought the players tried to back each other up which was far better than I have seen for a long time,” said the Gaffer.
“It has been a pretty intense week with a lot home truths, and I think that’s the way forward with that type of aggression. After last weekend, and it has been coming, there were things that needed to be said and things that needed to be done. And they’ll continue to be needed to be done better than we’ve done today.
“We had chances but unfortunately we succumbed to a better side. There’s no shame in losing but it’s another loss and we’re losing too many games.
“There’s too much last 5-minute chaos where they get a second goal, which I’m really angry about. These things are avoidable, but I can see enough fight in the group and if they relax, then there’s enough ability.”
He continued: “We competed and we were competitive.
“We’ve lost to the league leaders and I think there was an expectation for us to lose and that really disappoints me. Regardless of how many games we’ve lost, I don’t go to any game expecting to lose. I go there to fight and with a plan to win the game and not to lose it. We’ve lost another game and I’m deeply disappointed, but from a characteristic point of view it gives me something to hold onto going into the next game.
“But the harsh reality is that it’s another defeat and we can’t keep comparing what we did last season to this season. We are in a terrible position and we have to fight harder than our opponents and make better decisions against Shrewsbury and every game we play after that in the 11 games that we’ve got left.
He added: “Ethan [Hamilton] will be a big miss. That’s the last two games we’ve had silly sending offs – that’s that self-inflicted chaos. He has been a very good player for us and I thought he was energetic today. It’s a miss, but it’s something I have to deal with. We had an injury to Ryan McLaughlin on Thursday but I thought I thought we dealt with it quite well today. [And Callum Camps had to leave the pitch during stoppage time] because I think he got blow to the head that left him dizzy and sick, and he got to a point in the game where he couldn’t continue.
“I need us to make sure that we see games out with a full complement of players and that we don’t give, like we did with Luton, a second goal in the 92nd minute of injury time. That’s far too many times that we’ve done that this season. That chaotic behaviour and that chaotic decision making at the end of games has got to stop.”
Watch the full interview on iFollow.