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

Michael101 added 22:45 - Feb 4 Facefacts. Yes sack the manager,but you will still be left with the same useless players,would Evans pay more than 3/6 to get a compertant manager,would Evans be prepared to pay off Lambert 5year contract, sorry to say but we are in a catch 22 situation.
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