Stand-in Blues skipper George Edmundson admitted Town struggled with their final ball as they were beaten 1-0 at Sheffield Wednesday yesterday, but felt there were encouraging signs in the display.
The 24-year-old was wearing the captain’s armband for the second game running with Sam Morsy serving the second game of his four-match ban.
"It is a tough place to come,” the former Rangers man said. "You never get an easy game here, but I thought we played well, it was just up to the final third, we probably struggled with our final ball. I definitely think there are encouraging signs there.”
Asked whether that might be viewed as a surprise given the attacking talent in the squad, he reflected: "I know, but we’ve had big changes. There’s a new style of play for us, so it is going to take time for us to adapt and get used to play the way the gaffer wants to play.
"But in past games I think you have seen that we can do it. I think we just need a tiny bit more time on the training pitch and it’ll click more often than not.”
He added: "I thought we played some really good stuff. We’re frustrated in there. We’ve had a little chat [with] the gaffer. Like I say, the final ball and that will come the more we play this style of football. It’ll come and we’ll have more good games than bad ones.”
Edmundson says the disappointment wasn’t so much with the performance but with allowing a chance to close the gap on the top six to slip with Wednesday going back ahead of the Blues, who are back to eight points from the play-offs.
"I think that’s probably why we’re disappointed, not performance-wise, more that if we could have come and won here it would have put us right in contention again.
"So, we’ve probably made it a bit hard for ourselves again but I think that’s been the story of our season.”
Town’s next opponents are the bottom two, 23rd-placed Gillingham, who lost 7-2 at home to Oxford yesterday, and table-propping Doncaster at the Keepmoat Stadium a week on Tuesday.
""We go into every game thinking we can win every game,” the one-time Oldham trainee continued. "So hopefully we’re just going to go back, debrief on this game on Monday and then we go into the next one hoping to win.”
Asked about Wednesday’s winning goal, Edmundson reflected: "I’m partly to blame in that I lost the ball, but with this style of football, the gaffer wants the centre-halves stepping in with the ball and sometimes it’s going to happen.
"I hold my hands up for it and you just move on, forget about it. Learn from it, forget about it and then move on.
"You’ve seen it in games when JD [Janoi Donacien] steps out and he ends up on the edge of the box or wherever. If it does come off you get in some great positions, but if it doesn’t come off and they put a good ball in, sometimes you are left a little bit vulnerable.
"But that’s the way we’re playing, we like it and I think you could see we can do it. We’ve got to make sure we do it more consistently.”
The Manchester-born central defender says it’s a style of football he enjoys even if it’s not one he’s played before in quite the same set-up.
"Not in a three really,” he recalled. "I have played in a three but not really stepping in. But it’s something the gaffer wants and encourages from us. I think we can all do it, Woolfy [Luke Woolfenden], I know he’s been playing in the middle, but I can see him stepping in as well. It’s something we’ve spoken about and we enjoy it.”
Edmundson was impressed with left wing-back Dominic Thompson’s debut, the 21-year-old having joined on loan from Brentford earlier in the week.
"I thought he did brilliant, I thought he was really good,” he said. "You can see he’s a modern-day full-back, wing-back as we play. He’s up and down, puts in a good tackle, is comfy on the ball. I think he was really good and it was a great debut.”
Regarding skippering the Blues, he added: "It’s brilliant. It’s something that you want to be. If I am captain it’s something that I feel like can improve my game. It brings certain players out of their shell and I feel like it has done that with me, I’ve had to become more of a leader. It’s something I’m embracing and enjoying.”
Asked what kind of leader he is, he said: "I wouldn’t say I’m loud, I try and do my talking on the pitch. Before the game and at half-time, I can talk myself up to be the best player in the world, but if you don’t go and do it on the pitch, then nobody’s going to listen to you. I try and do it on the pitch, try and do things right and hopefully the lads follow.
"Wearing the armband, it’s having a nice title really. When I’m on the pitch, even if Morsy’s in or if Evo’s [Lee Evans] captain, I still see myself as a captain and try and be a leader and encourage the lads through the game.”
Edmundson was up against his former Rangers team-mate Florian Kamberi at Hillsborough and the two enjoyed a good battle.
"I apologised to him for going through him,” he said. "It’s part of football, if he got the chance he’d probably smash me anyway! It’s just one of them, it happens in football, no intention to hurt him, it’s a good battle.”
Edmundson is currently sporting the full centre-half’s look with two black eyes sustained in the previous two matches.
"I know. Accy and Wimbledon,” he said pointing to each in turn. "First minute at Wimbledon, I couldn’t believe it.
"It’s part of the job really. Heading, kicking balls, so you’re bound to get a whack sometimes and a few black eyes, maybe a broken nose or something. It’s something I enjoy, I quite like heading balls. Part of the battle.”