Stand-in skipper Cole Skuse insists he and his team-mates remain confident in themselves and believe things will turn. Following Saturday’s last-gasp 1-0 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday, the bottom-of-the-table Blues are now eight points plus goal difference from safety with 16 matches left to play.

Skuse, who wore the armband in the absence of injured captain Luke Chambers, felt Town were better in the second period than they had been in the first against the Owls.

“At half-time we held our hands up and had to admit we weren’t at the races in the first half,” the Bristolian said.

“We got on the ball more in the second half but it was a real kick in the teeth to concede that late goal. That was a tough one to take.

“The game should have been stopped before that for a tackle [Michael Hector’s challenge on Will Keane] that I didn’t think was a good one by any stretch of the imagination, but the ref thought differently.”

The midfielder, 32, says the players know they need to start picking up points very soon if they are to prevent Town from dropping into the third tier for the first time in 62 years.

“You won’t find a more honest group of lads than what we’ve got here,” he added.

“We’re up for the fight and we can only keep going but we know we need to start picking up points.

“There are 16 games left and that’s a lot of points to play for. I’ve been in the game long enough to know that anything can happen. We’re hugely confident in ourselves and believe things will turn for us.”

The Blues were without both Chambers and fellow centre-half James Collins on Saturday, due to foot and hamstring injuries respectively, with manager Paul Lambert hopeful they’ll both be fit for the East Anglian derby at Norwich City on Sunday.

“They were two huge losses but Matthew Pennington and Toto Nsiala defended well. Totes was a colossus,” Skuse added.

Sub Lucas Joao scored the goal which saw Wednesday to victory in new manager Steve Bruce’s first game in charge.

“Of course I’m happy to score but the main thing is the three points,” the Portuguese frontman, who also scored both goals as Wednesday beat Town 2-1 at Hillsborough earlier in the season, said afterwards.

“It is all about helping the team. If I start I want to score and if I come off the bench it’s the same.

“It was a great bit of play by Reachy [Adam Reach] and I was in the right place at the right time when he cut the ball back for me. In my position I have to score goals. It is my job.

“This is just the beginning. We want to build something big. He is the first English manager I have had at the club and I will give everything.

“I hope he will help me to improve. He says we need to work hard and run more than our opponents. That is very important in this league and then you can show your quality.”

Meanwhile, Town’s table-topping U23s are in action against their Crystal Palace counterparts at the Eagles’ training ground this afternoon (KO 1pm).

Photo: TWTD

phillev231069 added 11:45 - Feb 4 I am sick and tired of reading this B/S, play another fooking record.....
7

Jonnosdreadlocks added 11:59 - Feb 4 he talks cr@p and he performs cr@p but is always in the team. Backwards, sideways, hospital ball. The guy is a fraud and its time he is called out on it.
2

BlueArrow added 11:59 - Feb 4 It's Only Words but With A Little Prayer we could be Dancing On The Ceiling. The Only Way Is Up.🕺
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Lightningboy added 12:04 - Feb 4 Time to stop wasting time with other teams loanees and give our own kids very valuable experience ahead of next season. Sadly most of what Lambert's brought in are not upto the job by the looks of it..think Jackson could be decent next season at League 1 level so just give the guy a free run between now and May alongside Sears..let them get an understanding as they “could” be a lethal partnershipext season. We need a bloody good clear out in the summer.

11

Gcon added 12:21 - Feb 4 Only with a different owner. Who is going to score our goals? Why didn't we bring a goal scorer in during this window?
4

Saxonblue74 added 13:04 - Feb 4 The fact that we haven't had a good thrashing this season to date but are still rock bottom is not a positive thing. Says to me that we are taking too much of a negative approach, not enough risks being taken to get the wins that we desperately need.
2

crunchie1978 added 13:09 - Feb 4 Well why don't you consider passing foward or heaven forbid score a frigging goal skuse. Pathetic statement to come out with...sooner the likes of you are out of the club the better.
0

inghamspur added 13:51 - Feb 4 Skuse is just replying to a question so he's not going to say it's all over yet. Just boils down to the fact that the personnel aren't good enough and has been the case all season. Would also add that another shocking referreing performance. Langford needs to be the added to the list of Duncan, Robinson & Stroud as probably the worst referees I have ever seen. How do they get the job in the first place?

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PulhamBlue added 13:58 - Feb 4 Random thoughts of the day: Well Cole, I believe in Father Christmas, but guess what... Is Mr Lambert suffering from the Culverhouse effect, or rather the absence of... Is it really hard to spray the ball about with some panache, and some belief... Time to introduce a "bonus" scheme? Each game won attracts a 25% pay bonus. Each game lost attracts a 25% loss deduction. Well, at least the war chest would be boosted for next season. ☺ That's all folks... COYB

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dirtydingusmagee added 14:16 - Feb 4 ok refs have been found wanting , BUT they are not the reason we are where we are, Stats [ok no one like stats] show we get few if any shots on target week in week out, we dont fair any better when it comes to possession , add that to the defensive mistakes we make , its not hard to see we are bottom for a reason . We play a different style of football perhaps ,but can anyone honestly say that the team is playing with passion , ? are they really giving everything in the fight to avoid the drop ? imo they are not .

4

warktheline added 14:16 - Feb 4 Utter dross! Totally incapable of even competing with teams in Championship ! Managed to ( recently ) somehow beat Rotherham and Wigan at home against the awful statistics at the end of both games, bar that all ever so predictable ! Give it a rest with such rhetoric, it rather insults the intelligence of long suffering supporters!
8

TimmyH added 14:21 - Feb 4 'Belief' is a strange thing and often misplaced...a number of years ago I believed in the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot roaming the Pacific Northwest and that Lord Lucan was still alive!
3

barrystedmunds added 15:05 - Feb 4 We don't!
3

ITFCsince73 added 15:26 - Feb 4 No surprise to hear this from Skuse. After all, the manager keeps saying how great they are, how well they have played. To good to be in bottom 3 etc etc. The players obviously believe him.
2

geminimustang added 15:38 - Feb 4 Looking at the games left,i believe ITFC can win 6 games=18 points.They'll not win the 6,they'll lose some,draw others but end up around 36 pts when 43 is most likely needed.Relegation almost certain,PL will leave and mid-table Div 1 will become the norm.All this playing well nonsense and things turning around,i'm not buying that,sorry.
2

eddiespearitt03 added 15:58 - Feb 4 Who the heck is Cole Skuse trying to kid ? These senior players have had their turn.....now hand it over to the kids. I would rather us lose with players like Morris, Folami,Cotter,Emanuel,Woolfenden etc in the team. Cole Skuse needs to tell Marcus Evans to stop selling our better players . Remove McCarthy,s "proper blokes" and let us accept we are definitely a League One team These players forget what it is like watching us lose and the abysmal football that has been part of this club over the last ten years. . Play the youngsters now and build a better squad..

4

brittaniaman added 16:08 - Feb 4 It should have turned at Christmas Skusey that really was the cut off date ??? I just cannot see where we are going to get the next 25pts. from ??? I can remember when Peterboro went down with 54pts..and they are still trying to get back. I would be very pleased and surprised if we got anything from up the road next Sun.but still COYBs
2

dubblue added 16:20 - Feb 4 i wonder how many similar remarks have been posted over the past view weeks? There is a saying fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. I refuse to be fooled anymore!
4

cat added 16:29 - Feb 4 Full thrust on the front foot would be good as we have nothing to lose. Look what happened at the start of last season when injuries forced McCarthy's hand into doing something he would not have normally done (attack!) 5 wins on the bounce and in all honesty, had that not have happened then we would probably be in league 1 now.
4

Warkys_Tash added 16:31 - Feb 4 Beat Norwich & maybe we will start to believe again. The whole squad owes us fans. However, that is highly unlikely. Until then, for the first time I have succumbed to the stark reality we will be playing lge1 next season :(
2

London_Blue added 17:22 - Feb 4 Cole's a decent fella and probably goes into training everyday thinking he's around a decent set of quality players. However, on the strength of what I've seen this season, pre and post PL, we are completely lacklustre and don't even threaten in and around the penalty box, never mind the goal. If we were hitting the bar or coming away from games with the opposition keeper having had a blinder, you could accept that, but the truth is that we are completely void of quality in the final third. You can piss about with the defence to stop goals going in, but if you can't score at the other end, you'll only end up with draw, at best. I don't think we have anything like a cutting edge, despite the incoming of new players, and have already resigned myself to league 1 football next season.

4

happybeingblue added 17:43 - Feb 4 funny thing is despite how grim it is we still aint singing "weve had a shot weve had a shot" like last season in the good old days :)
1

RegencyBlue added 18:12 - Feb 4 I know why he's saying it but no one believes it anymore. We're done, end of!
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BcarefulwhatUWish4 added 18:16 - Feb 4 Thankfully no real renditions of that other classic "we're so........it's unbelievable". Give it time & we will begin to hear those songs emerge though. Feel fans have actually been incredibly patient, many other clubs would be calling for the managers head already. Though the outlook on Lambert seems to have shifted somewhat, I feel a majority of fans still realise he's doing what he can with the resources at his disposal. Lose at Norwich and he's lost 13 out of the 18 played though, very grim statistic. Lose big and things could turn but in a different way than Skuse believes. Frustration and anger due to the inept performances is reaching boiling point.

1

Tofat4theturnstiles added 18:30 - Feb 4 Campaign for Pam Ayres as owner! She's loaded and will provide good quality half time entertainment. http://pamayres.com/index.php/2011/08/oh-i-wish-id-looked-after-me-teeth/ Better than current half time entrainment — trying to get supporters to kick a ball through a small hole when the players can't even hit it as per football size regulations — need I say more!

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