Wing-back Gwion Edwards admitted Saturday’s 4-1 home defeat to his former club Peterborough United has hurt everyone at the club. 
Edwards was one of the few Blues players to come out of the game with much credit as Posh picked up their first win at Town in 60 years and their first ever league victory at Portman Road.

“It’s not nice to lose any game but to lose at home like that in front of our home fans has really hurt us and hurt the fans, it’s hurt everyone at the club,” Edwards said. “We need a reaction now and go again.

“I’m not going to say what’s been said [in the dressing room], we keep that to ourselves but it’s obvious that it wasn’t good enough.

“In the first half we were actually playing well, I thought. I haven’t seen it back but a few people said it was a penalty, I’m not too sure, but I think it was.

“That changed the game and then we’ve gifted them another goal. But even then we were still actually getting a lot of the ball, we were creating chances and I think we’d got the next goal then we’re actually still in the game but they’ve put the game to bed and that’s not good enough from us.”

Reflecting on what was a an evenly-balanced first 20 minutes, he added: “I don’t remember chances that they actually created, I think we dealt with what they were throwing at us and then [Siriki Dembele] has gone down for the penalty.

“That’s changed the game, then we’ve gifted them another goal and the next goal is crucial, we’ve got to get it and we didn’t.”

Regarding Will Norris’s error for the second goal, Sammie Szmodics having taken the ball off the on-loan Wolves keeper inside his six-yard box, Edwards said: “Everyone makes mistakes, even at the top level, you see it in the Premier League, people make mistakes.

“It’s not ideal, you’d like him to kick it away, but you’ve got to put your arm round him, get your head up and we go again.

“We’ve obviously tried to go again, we haven’t had the reaction we needed, they’ve got the goal and it’s changed the game completely and we’re chasing it.”

He added: “Will’s been brilliant for us in goal, he’s made some really top saves that have kept us in games and probably won us games this season. Tomas [Holy] as well, when he’s played he’s been brilliant.

“We’ve gifted them a goal, it happens, it’s a mistake but now we need a reaction this week and we go again at Sunderland.”

Looking ahead to the visit to the Stadium of Light, he said: “Every game’s tough from the start of the season to now and it’s going to be even tougher from now in, they’re going to come thick and fast and we’ve got to react now, dust ourselves off, put this game behind us.

‘We’ve got to go again this week, work hard and turn up on Saturday and have a reaction.”

Town, who are down to fourth, five points off the top, haven’t won a game against a team currently in the top eight, drawing six and losing four. Asked why he thinks that’s the case, Edwards said: “I’m not sure, I don’t look at the stats so I didn’t know that.

“As I say, we’ve got to react, every game’s a big game and you can’t think you’re going to win the game coming into it, we’ve got to do better.

“Today, I think in the first half we were playing well and if we’d nicked a goal we’d probably have put the game to bed ourselves and we’d probably go on to win.

“But, as I said, [the penalty] changes the game, now we need a reaction this week, we’ve got to turn up on Saturday.

“The fans are brilliant for us, home and away, so hopefully the travelling fans on Saturday can come home with three points.”

The 26-year-old could empathise with supporters after such a disappointing afternoon: “Of course, we’ve all got frustrations, everyone, fans, us, everyone. It’s hurt us all, we’re all in it together, so they’ve got to stick by us, we’ve got to stick by them and we go again and have a reaction Saturday and get the three points.

“There’s a long way to go and we’re still right in it. It’s not a crisis. We need a reaction, every game’s big from now on and we’ve got to turn up every game from now until the end of the season, there’s no reason why we still can’t do it.”

Edwards will miss the trip to Wearside having picked up his 10th booking of the season, which means he is subject to a two-game ban.

“It was a bit of a soft one to be fair, I’ve not really touched him, but what can you do?” he reflected ruefully. “I’m not going to say too much on it, I’ll probably get done.

“It’s one of those things. I’ve not really touched him, he’s done down really softly and it’s cost me two games now.

“It’s really frustrating. I think of the yellows I’ve had, some were yellows and some haven’t been yellows, but the referees on the day have decided they were and no one can do anything about that.

“But it’s cost me and it’s cost the team because I’ve had a good run of games and now I’m out for two games.

“But we’ve got replacements to come in, they’ll come in, the manager will pick his team and I’ll be ready to go when I’m back in.”

Edwards, primarily a winger, says he’s got to grips with playing at right wing-back the more he has played there.

“I’ve had a run of games, and as a team we have as well, we’ve got better and better after Christmas apart from the last two games, which have hurt us,” he said.

“We’ve got to react now, go again, the boys who go up to Sunderland will have that reaction and obviously I’m ready to go when the ban’s up.”

He added: “I’ve played on the left all my career and when I have played wing-back I’ve played left wing-back.

“But I’m right-footed so there’s no reason why I can’t play right wing-back. I personally think I’ve done well when I’ve played there.

“I think every player wants a run of games and I think I’ve got better and better, not that I was playing badly when I did play [earlier in the season], but if you’re playing every week you’re obviously going to get better.”

Photo: TWTD

TimmyH added 22:47 - Feb 2 Could be psychologically damaging that result...but 1 game shouldn't hurt everyone at the club the fact that we haven't beaten any club in the top 8 should leave more of a mark!...the downward path continues with slight peaks and bigger troughs.
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Saxonblue74 added 23:47 - Feb 2 It's incredible to see our current league position, we've been poor all season. How many times have we heard about needing a reaction in the next game to "put right" the last one? Sad thing is that it never comes! The second we go behind I lose interest these days as it's so rare to see us score more than 1 goal. 2 behind and it's definitely game over!
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Henrietta_R_Hippo added 00:19 - Feb 3 Northstandvet: You are not alone, as I'm sure many more without them DECEIVING blue- or rosytinted glasses or horse blinders permanently attached to their forehead, feel much the same... ...and as such Murphyology Applied, as it's widely coined among those in the cult, is pretty much everywhere in this sombre Day & Age isn't it, sigh sigh???? So with that observation in mind and with special regard to your often expressed worries about ehhhh "potential worsening" lol, here is a particular classic corollary to the old & original jolly Code of Misadventure, known as *Finagle's 4th Law*, which should cheer you up some lol as it goes like this: "Once a job is fouled up, anything done to improve it only makes it worse!" You can obviously freely continue to argue between yourselves who exactly fouled what up ...and when, HOWEVER whether you believe in Murphyology at all or not you must surely know by now!!! that following ITFC, say exclusively post 2001 and especially in this seemingly never-ending Eberneezer "I'm basically indifferent & clueless about pro football" Evans Era... ...is in short & at it's very tribal core: A 94% self-inflicted EXERCISE IN DISTRESS! :-) (-:

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runningout added 00:34 - Feb 3 would hope every defeat hurts a lot!!! The idea is to learn from it. Be and keep being self critical, stop crying like I do and win the next 20 games on the bounce. Isn't that the idea
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Dissboyitfc added 06:56 - Feb 3 I feel the hurt too, but right now i am numb!
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MickMillsTash added 06:59 - Feb 3 Footballing lesson Runners from midfield hard work in midfield Decent centre forward Organisation - everyone knowing their jobs. Will Lambert copy the Peterborough model now the Sheff Utd model seems to have crashed?
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r2d2 added 08:00 - Feb 3 Dolphinblue, you are Paul Lambert really arnt you?
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dirtydingusmagee added 08:59 - Feb 3 no r2d2 Dolphin is Delia
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Gcon added 09:21 - Feb 3 You can blame the players and blame the manager all you like, but there is one single factor that dominates this ten year slide into obscurity - Marcus Evans. But, of course, its just easier to berate players and replace managers.
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planetblue_2011 added 09:24 - Feb 3 Look ITFC you have to pull yourselves together because if we don't get a result at Sunderland we could be out of the top 6. The league is so tight. We have lost 2 games to better opposition on the day, the thing is we shouldn't of made them better opposition we have a team/squad very capable of winning any game but for me it's the way we loose - We never shoot & don't ever seem to look like scoring. To loose 4-1 at home is terrible against any team but P'boro, come on town we can do much better than that!!!

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blueboy1981 added 09:25 - Feb 3 We've been p#ss poor all season yet still 4th - just goes to show how low this level is that we are playing at this season. If you cannot win this League Lambert with the squad you've got / had at your disposal - you're a failure. Telling us after every defeat about your ‘illustrious' career, and ‘big' Clubs you've been at, doesn't cut the ice with all of us - thankfully. Everyone associated with Saturdays result should hang their heads in shame, equally so for the limp performance at Rotherham. Both shameful performances to boot.

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brittaniaman added 09:32 - Feb 3 IT seems such a long time ago when we were 4pts. ahead and 2 games in hand ? how the tables have turned, we are now 5pts. behind and some teams around us have 1 or 2 games in hand ? So come on Lambo get this sorted out now, instead of keep saying we have got a lot of points to play for ?????
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blueboy1981 added 09:32 - Feb 3 ...... or in your case Gcon - blame Evans for everything. Then why pay Managers & Players extremely high salaries to do there jobs for you - but fail ???? Many need to take the head from the sand, or they eventually resemble an Ostrich .
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OldClactonBlue added 10:01 - Feb 3 Well at least he won't be under performing again for at least two games
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Billybobblue added 10:25 - Feb 3 Hoping the result vs Posh will spark the team into life, as I'm sure they dont want to go through that again. 21k attendance, "fans doing their part", now its time for the team to start grafting and do their part with some direction. We really have no consistency at the moment and I really hope we can sort this out with the games down to 15. Still in it, but other teams are now in better positions. Hopefully Lambert will bring back Holy and Norwood as I think we are better with Norwood up top than Keane.

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Gazelle added 11:24 - Feb 3 Our starting line up was missing Holy, KVR, Norwood and Huys with Garbett off after 15 minutes. Shout me down if you will but not to many teams do well with 5 of their best players out of the side.
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beornioblue added 11:39 - Feb 3 Well then show that away at Sunderland then .. oh no wait you cant can you because youre suspended !! Well hopefully your teammates can then. WE are woefully under-stocked in midfield now with the same injury problems coming out again!! Anyone else think maybe we should have kept hold of Georgiou for cover?
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Linkboy13 added 11:41 - Feb 3 It's obvious we are not good enough for automatic promotion having been out classed by both Rotherham and Peterborough. This club needs a major rebuild we badly lack a dominant centre half who won't get out muscled by centre forwards like in the de vos and mowbray mould strong central midfield ball winner and big target man basically down the centre of the pitch this is where the team is built from.

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BeattiesBackPocket added 11:48 - Feb 3 Blueboy1981 tell me who in our team is championship quality maybe 4/5 maximum you say about the squad at our disposal but some of these players are showing league 2 standard so I don't know where you think the squad is so good for this league? Also the buck stops at the top we can't keep hiring and firing managers and tbh some of these managers ARE experienced at getting team promoted!? Both Jewell mick and lambert have that experience and why they were hired maybe just maybe it should show you that it starts with the owner? And if you want to berate another manager WHO is hiring these guys again the owner! We're in bigger debt because of the owner he accept terrible fees for players who go on and command in Webster's care five times what he sold him for a season later so yes he is to blame!

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BeattiesBackPocket added 11:55 - Feb 3 If we don't go up we will end up in this league for a long while maybe even drop again because the wage budget will go down considerably and the players that are good enough for the championship likes of Downes, Woolfenden, KVY, Garbutt et all will be gone so the quality will be even lower. The five point/year plan start every bloody year for the past 7 years we'll lose our wage budget year on year again and then league two then maybe just maybe some will see that the common denominator in the last ten years is/was Evans! Championship contenders under magilton playing some good football to league one and falling. I never expected millions to be spent in the championship it doesn't always work but a budget where you can compete maybe bring in a Rhodes type player on loan of free and we wouldn't be in league one and our owner wouldn't be moaning about making a 9 million pound loss this year! I'm not going to praise someone who goes on about a debt HE has accrued!

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DoseOfReality added 12:04 - Feb 3 Defeat ??!! .. Defeat ... you're joking man ... that was an embarrassing annihilation on you're own pitch. Rotherham was seriously bad but that was a total joke. Useless incompetence from owner through to players & manager looks lost already. Club is dead to me until Evans goes.
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Bert added 13:24 - Feb 3 We all feel the pain of the woeful defeat on Saturday but the outpouring of emotion lacks the reality of the situation. Let's assume Evans decides to sell the club and it's debt. Who would we expect to be interested ? Would they want a return, in which case that narrows down any potential parties. Would we accept dirty Russian or Chinese investment ? Would we sacrifice a community based club for one that becomes a play thing fr a foreigner owner ? It is not as simple as calling for Evans to move on as other clubs have found out.Do I have an answer? No, other than to say that in this league we have the players to succeed. They just need to perform

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leonardgroat added 13:32 - Feb 3 We will not get a result at Sunderland, they are on the up and we are woefully on the down with a manager that has no clue whatsoever. Any more BS from him after the game, especially about the level he used to play, and I'm going to spontaneously combust.
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midastouch added 13:44 - Feb 3 Sorry this is long but I'm so cheesed off about how far we've fallen under Evans I need to get this off my chest! Firstly, remember Evans apology? See here and the key extract quote from Evans (as pasted just below the article link): Owner Evans Apologises to Fans 14th Apr 2019 13:33 Town owner Marcus Evans has apologised to Town fans in the wake of the Blues' relegation to League One and has outlined the plans for the future in a personal letter that will go out with season ticket renewals later this week, which has been published in part on the club website today. 134 "We tried something different at the start of the season. For one reason or another it didn't work, and you will have your own views as to what went wrong, but clearly mistakes have been made and as owner, I have to take overall responsibility for that. Now my responsibility is to take this great club forwards again." He effectively apologised in his statement for our relegation and accepted he's accountable and as such that it's his responsibility to move us "forwards again". By "forwards again" one can only assume that he meant he would do what was required to return us at least to Championship status. In fairness we turned down some bids and he's got in KVY. But with KVY injured and several of the experienced players firing too many blanks, is that enough? Judging by Saturday's inept performance it's a resounding big fat NO!!! So what's he going to do to return us to our Championship status if Lambert fails this season (which looks a real possibility)? Is he going to be good to his word or not? On the whole, his managerial appointments have left a lot to be desired. Some of got hammered for wanting Burley instead of Hurst. Ask yourself this, if Burley had of come back in do you think he would of been playing the likes of Dobra, Morris and El Mizouni? Far more likely. Watch the Class of 92 on Manchester United and we could learn some huge lesson from that. Remember what Burley said when he put himself forward for the job, see here: https://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/george-burley-wants-to-be-new-ipswich-town-boss-1-5 in May 2018. Some of the key bits are pasted here: “The owner has made it clear that bringing through players from the academy is the way this club is going to progress and, let's be honest, no-one has a better CV than mine when it comes to youth development. “At Ipswich it was Richard Wright, Kieron Dyer, James Scowcroft, Titus Bramble, Darren Ambrose, Richard Naylor... At Southampton it was Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, Adam Lallana, David McGoldrick, Bartosz Bialkowski... At Crystal Palace I gave Wilfried Zaha his debut. “Bringing youngsters through hasn't really happened at Ipswich over the last 10 years in terms of players becoming regulars. So often we've seen a young player get two or three games and then we might not see them again for a year. I think that can have an adverse effect on their development. “I think you have to stick with young players and really work with them on the training field to get the maximum out of them. That, for me, hasn't happened enough in the last 10 years.” Asked how he would describe ‘the Ipswich way', Burley said: “For players to express themselves and enjoy themselves on the pitch and be a positive, passing team. Bobby Ferguson, who sadly passed away recently, drilled that passing ethos into us every single day. “I don't think the basics of passing have been pushed into the players enough. You've got to set a standard. I look at some players and think ‘son, you can't pass the ball, you need to work on the basics'.”“I hate always hearing that Ipswich have been ‘over-achieving'. This is a club that was in Europe virtually every year when I was a player. When I came back as a manager everyone laughed when I said that the goal was to get back there — but we did. “Why can't we get in the play-offs? Why can't we get back in the Premier League? You've got to have ambition otherwise what's the point?” ------------------ Please Lambert can you watch the Class of 92 about Manchester Utd and learn some key lessons! Hear what they said about Man City's scouting network dominance at the time and how Ferguson sorted it virtually overnight. Hear how Ferguson shipped out some of the old guard and threw some of the young guns into the deep end. Yes Lambert has put in Downes and Wolfenden as regulars, but I honestly think Burley would of gone much further. We need somebody to start gambling a lot more on our young players as that's our only realistic chance of closing the gap. Remember when Ipswich played Posh last time before Saturday's Paul Lamborghini's Carcrash? Wasn't it El Mizouni who scored? Remember the young goalie in goal Przybek performing his penalty heroics? Would they have done any worse on Saturday? Of course they wouldn't! I also noticed El Mizouni got off to a winning start on Saturday at Cambridge beating Colchester. I'm sick of seeing the same old players getting chance after chance but coming up short (I don't even need to name names, I'm sure you can easily guess the players I mean). It's time for a brave new Ipswich world Ipswich hard reset! Out with the old guard and in with the new ITFC young guns! Let's embrace our most talented youth and build our future around them, seriously folks, it's our only chance!

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runningout added 14:17 - Feb 3 I'm not envious of any other club in any other league. Would like to know if we have a scouting system, albeit for players and coaches on the go. A lot of clubs are getting along way ahead of us on this front!!! We seem to have lost any form of intelligence in football, separate from our PL and his coaching team
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