Boss Roy Keane says his side must learn to start matches more quickly after another disappointing first half at Nottingham Forest on Saturday. The Blues, who have scored only once in the first period in the league this season, were two goals behind at the break, as they had been at Watford on Tuesday.
Town improved in the second half during both games but Keane admits it’s often not hard to play against opposition teams already sitting back on leads: "Sometimes when you’re 2-0 down it’s easy to get on the ball, it’s easy to want to play and easy to be braver. You need to be ready from the first minute.
"It’s been a problem for us all season, there’s no getting away from it. We’re aware of it and opposition teams are aware of it.”
The Town boss wasn’t too displeased with the overall performance at the City Ground but was unhappy with the way the goals were conceded: "The first goal was a disappointing one, getting caught by a straightforward ball inside our full-back. We need to do better and we know that.
"Their second goal was a bit like the second goal at Watford the other night. It came from a throw-in in the Forest half. It was a bit naïve, over-playing it a touch.
"If we were guilty of anything it was over-playing it in dangerous areas. We need to threaten teams a bit more, whether it’s getting in behind them with a bit more pace.
"There was literally a minute to go to half-time and we’d have taken that because we get stronger in the second half, but we gave the goal away. People will look at it as a good goal from the boy and I wouldn’t begrudge him his bit of glory but we should have seen out the first half, the same as on Tuesday. Déjà vu.”
Keane dismissed suggestions that his players are lacking self-belief: "I don’t think that’s a problem. I think we have a good dressing room and we need to respond on Tuesday.
"It’s not as if the next game is going to be any easier than today. It’s going to be tough. There’s a place in the quarter-final of the League Cup at stake. Northampton is a big, big game for us so we need to react and respond, and I’m sure we will.”
After three successive losses the Town manager is determined not to let defeat become any more of a habit: "When you’re winning games you think you’re never going to lose and when you’re losing you can’t see another victory. What we have to do now is focus on Tuesday night.
"We’ve got Jack and Jake cup-tied, so other lads will get an opportunity. I thought young Murray did well when he came on for us, Connor did OK for us too and Livermore did well.
"We’re asking young players to do men’s jobs. We saw that at Forest, and it’s not me writing things off, but they’re physically bigger than us and they’re more experienced than us. We were up against a team who weren’t far from getting in the Premier League last year.
"We know where we’re at and I learned a lot about the team at Forest and there’s a lot of hard work ahead.”
Keane confirmed that Jason Scotland had been rested in the second half: "The plan was always for Jason to have 45 minutes. Jason’s played two full games and as we know Jason’s getting up to fitness. Connor Wickham was ready and I thought he did quite well for us. It’s about using your squad of players.”
Manchester City, Spurs and Everton were amongst the Premier League clubs to send representatives to send scouts to watch Wickham in action this week.