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

Pecker added 18:36 - Feb 4 That is a shame. The sooner they realise we are down the better. Let the shackles off and go for it boys. Nothing to lose attitude.
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ITFCsince73 added 18:46 - Feb 4 What happened to your positively Warkys Tash?
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WadeyBlue added 18:54 - Feb 4 He's hardly going to say " we're fuked and we all know it , but heh keep turning up "
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ringwoodblue added 19:38 - Feb 4 The Championship is a bonkers league and we all know its capable of throwing up some weird table-defying results. Maybe Sunday is going to be case in point. I might just put £10 on Town to win as I'm sure I'll get very generous odds!
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Chris_Knights added 19:54 - Feb 4 What planet does this muppet think he lives on?
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Gcon added 21:19 - Feb 4 Poor Cole picked the short straw this week. Every week it becomes more excruciating.
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dukey44 added 23:27 - Feb 4 How?
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Keaneish added 07:40 - Feb 5 You as an individual Cole are not playing anywhere near well enough with enough pace or urgency to help make this turn and that can be said for 70% of the team. Alan Judge, Freddie Sears and Flynn Downes being the three who are exempt.
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Saxonblue74 added 13:32 - Feb 5 Ringwoodblue, I'll stand your £10 bet and give you 20/1?!
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Bluroo added 14:09 - Feb 6 He's saying he believes things will turn, not that we'll stay up. Which would be deluded. If we need minimally 42 points to stay up thats 24 points, 1.5pts per game over 16 games , which is play off form. It's not happening. We've rolled the dice twice with a new manager and new players, the 2 things that could have made a difference and they didn't. We're not suddenly going to "click". We're bottom because we have the worst group of players and the most rudderless of leadership. Unlike most people on here, my hopes and expectations are based on longer cycles than 1 season at a time. We haven't won a decent trophy for nearly 40 years so I can wait a while longer and I don't fear relegation and see it as an opportunity to begin a new chapter. To my mind that is better than merely existing in the lower reaches of the Championship year on year. I'd rather something new and exciting could possibly happen and often such instances are sparked by catastrophe first.

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