Frustrated midfielder Flynn Downes admitted that the Blues ought to be taking all three points at places like AFC Wimbledon following last night’s 0-0 draw at Kingsmeadow. Downes believes Town now need to win all of their remaining nine home games.

“We came here to get the three points and it’s not happened, so it’s a tough one to take, but we go again on Saturday,” the 21-year-old said.

“It is disappointing because, no disrespect to Wimbledon, but we should be coming to these places and getting the three points, there’s no doubt. With the talent we have we should be doing that, and it’s not happened tonight.”

Asked why the Blues haven't been getting those results recently, the England U20 international said: “I don’t know, it’s just not going for us at the minute.

"I think earlier on in the season we were getting the early goals and it was giving us a bit of momentum, but at the minute it’s not going for us, we’re not getting that early goal and teams are just hanging on in there like Wimbledon did, it is what it is.”

Downes believes an early goal would have changed the complexion of last night’s match: “Big time, earlier on in the season we were getting those early goals and it was helping us massively, but at the minute it’s just not going for us.”

While creating plenty of chances last night and in the first half at Sunderland on Saturday, the Blues were unable to find the net in either game and their struggles to score are currently costing them.

“Yes, but we’re all in it together,” Downes added. “It’s not just the forwards, it’s the whole team. The midfielders have got to chip in, the wing-backs have got to chip in, everyone’s got to chip in. It’s a team game at the end of the day.

“You can’t just put all the blame on the strikers because they’re working very hard. We’ve all got to chip in.

“All we need is a break, one to go in off someone’s knee or something like that. If we’d have got one here today early on, it could have been three or four, that’s just the way it’s going for us at the minute.”

But the Brentwood-born schemer has no doubt the club’s strikers can get back in the goals, James Norwood and Kayden Jackson having found the target regularly earlier in the season and Will Keane having had a good spell in December and early January.

“One hundred per cent, it’s just not going for us at the minute, that’s all I can say,” Downes continued. “The boys have got the talent, we all know that, we’ve seen it early on in the season.”

Town had a number of nearly moments against the Dons, particularly in the second half in which Downes himself twice went close.

“I had two,” he recalled. “I turned one off a defender and I had another one where Keano got his leg in the way. If he hadn’t have touched that it was a goal.

“They frustrated us and that’s how the game went. We couldn’t get a goal and it is what it is at the end of the day.”

He says it’s important to stay patient in games such as last night’s: “The longer the game goes on and you’re not scoring, it does get frustrating, for all the players and the fans, it gets frustrating for everyone. We’ve just got to go again and look to get an early goal.

“We’ve come to Wimbledon and we should be winning the game. I suppose the longer the game goes on and we’re not 1-0 up or 2-0 up it does get frustrating but, fair play to them, they’ve frustrated us, but we should be doing better.”

Downes says he enjoys forming a midfield trio with Emyr Huws and Cole Skuse: “I like playing with both of them, it’s unbelievable. We’ve just got to keep going, as a team keep going and try and get as many wins as we can.”

The midfielder dismissed claims that the pressure is getting to the players: “I don’t think the boys are feeling any pressure at the minute. We’ve dropped out of the top six, there’s not any pressure on us now, we’re playing with freedom, that’s how we should be playing. We’ve got nothing to lose now.

“Training’s all good, nothing’s changed really, it’s just nothing’s going for us at the minute.”

Having been runaway leaders at the start of the campaign, the Blues are now seventh with teams above them having games in hand. But Downes believes there is time for Town to get back in the automatic promotion running.

“What is it, 13 games left? There are still a lot of games, we have nine at home so we need to make them count,” he said.

“But yes, every game’s important at this stage in the league and, like I said, we should be coming here and getting three points, and that’s that.”

The academy product knows form at Portman Road has to improve quickly with four out of the next five matches at home with Burton Albion the visitors on Saturday.

“Yes, we’ve got nine home games left, so the home form is massive, especially at this point in the season,” he reflected. “We just need the crowd to get behind us, like I say, we’re all in this together.”

He added: “Nine home games, we need to win all of them, simple as that. Hopefully we’ll get the fans behind us and get the wins.”

Photo: TWTD

r2d2 added 13:29 - Feb 12 Same sh! te again. Lambert clueless. O Neil clueless. Evans clueless. Thats the truth of the matter.
2

VanDusen added 13:44 - Feb 12 Whether we should or we shouldn't be winning anywhere is hardly the point we aren't. Although it is important to point out we did better here than Peterborough did when they lost 1-0 less than a month ago...
2

herobobby added 13:55 - Feb 12 And I quote Trainings good nothings changed really No sh** Sherlock Nothings going to change until lambert wakes up and changes it
2

FenboyBlue added 14:37 - Feb 12 It's an all too familiar phrase repeated "it's a tough one to take, but we go again on Saturday” I'm sure each time it's said a few more people are saying "you can go again, I can't be @rsed anymore"
3

runningout added 14:58 - Feb 12 True professionals can handle any sort of pressure. If they can't handle it from us sleepy Ipswich types, it begs belief
3

dirtydingusmagee added 15:19 - Feb 12 ''we go again Saturday '',same quote every week, if the game was switched to Sunday they'ed be completely fcuk'd.
5

IpswichT62OldBoy added 15:19 - Feb 12 We really have become a poor team, Garbutt won't stay now I'm sure, and he is the only player we have who can kick a stationary ball. What was the point of generating all that hope and positivity if we are going to revert to hoofball, and do it poorly. Lots of teams in this League who play better football than us, I do wonder how many of our Wunderkind would even make some of the teams around us, despite what we are told about a fantastic squad.

3

dirtydingusmagee added 16:08 - Feb 12 its just a continuation of last season we were relegated without a fight, we are still in the same mode and havn't bottomed out yet.
5

therein61 added 16:49 - Feb 12 Downes and Huws could be more productive if they didn't have to keep bailing out the sideways negative snail!! why that man been selected for the last few games god only knows(the midfield was going well Huws was out P.L brings negativity back instead of positive and the results are there in black and white) all i know is he continues to cost us points with error ridden performances it's becoming an absolute joke.

3

Doctor_Earman added 17:15 - Feb 12 Good to see the ''we go again'' platitude gets another airing. Sigh.
0

therein61 added 17:17 - Feb 12 Man for man(with a couple of exceptions) as a squad we should be better placed than we are since our good start, in the last 2/3 months the side have been coasting(biggest earners biggest examples) like big time charlies it's about time they came down to earth and got their act together starting on Saturday they are being well paid to do a job just do it!!!!!!
2

Linkboy13 added 17:40 - Feb 12 Huws is a pale shadow of the player he was almost crab like doesn't look like creating or scoring he's had ample time to get fit now . A lot of the players at the club at present have been part of our demise for several seasons and need to be moved on the squad needs to be smaller with quality rather than quantity and where needs be younger players introduced i keep hearing how good our youngsters are not too sure myself.

0

jas0999 added 17:42 - Feb 12 Same old I'm afraid. I genuinely wonder if the players actually mean what they say, as it's the same thing every time.
2

Edmundo added 18:06 - Feb 12 Last night was crying out for a player who can thread a pass: why oh why is Lambert ignoring Dozzell?
1

KenHancocksBoot added 18:27 - Feb 12 I agree with therein61. This bad run has coincided with Skuse's return. He may look as if he's having an ok game, but because he can only pass backwards the team loses momentum. We need a midfielder who can thread a pass forwards. Dozell for instance.
2

Saxonblue74 added 19:26 - Feb 12 It's interesting when the players who are not getting a run out are considered better than those who do, yet did nothing to retain a place when they had the opportunity. The real head scratcher for me is a question of finance. The whole squad, not to mention many back room staff were hit in the pocket with relegation, and will continue to be until we achieve promotion. Does nothing motivate this bunch of under performers? Huge numbers turning up to support them certainly isn't doing it! Evan's is continually expected to bankroll failure of our under performing squad when promotion itself would be a big cash injection. I'll say again before the "Evans out" crusaders jump on my back, I'm not his #1 fan, but he's not getting a lot of help!

5

dirtydingusmagee added 22:50 - Feb 12 Saxon he,s bankrolled failure in Lambert, nice 5 year contract, hardly a motivational example for the players, the whole club is apathetic . It can only end one way im afraid.Evans thought he would be A Prem Club owner after 1 year, failed and has taken us further away from that status with each passing season .It wont change in his charge,its just a case of how far will we sink before he lets go .

-1

bobble added 00:15 - Feb 13 9th position this year, we have already chucked it all away....
0

JewellintheTown added 04:28 - Feb 13 The whole team & top staff are massively overpaid & under achieving, full of promise & then excuses. Any other industry & they'd be sacked based on their performance & results. Even then, in this industry they'll get a tidy pay off. Insulting to all the hard working fans that help pay their wages.
9

norfolkbluey added 08:18 - Feb 13 It is a sad fact that we are unable to get players in because the budget is pathetic. Today's prices are beyond us. ME has had his fingers burnt and he now not prepared to take anymore risks. Of course we cannot pay premiership prices for a loan like Connor Wickham but the galling part is he was ours not that long ago, think Arsenal game in the snow! I am of the opinion that we are here to stay for at least another season unless there is an intervention from above. We have to hope that the team clicks again because there is no sign of the cavalry coming over the hill. I just hope that this is the bottom of the dip and that we don't drop any further. I don't think PL is particularly good in situations like this as his record shows eg Aston Villa, Wolves, Stoke etc.. Whether he is the man for the job, I don't know but his recent results have been relegation form which is very worrying which I am sure he realises. I like many am terribly disappointed as I was looking forward to playing the Norwich and West Ham next season. It may be a blessing that we remain in this division for another because we are definitely not good enough for the Championship as we are. We cannot score goals at this present moment let alone defend against better teams. Perhaps if we had a Wilder it may be different but giving PL a five year contract seems like stagnation to me. Miracles have happened and teams can turn things around but I wish I could envisage it happening. This is a team mentality problem but with the right management it can happen, so COYB

2

Northstandveteran added 09:37 - Feb 13 Interesting to hear Steven Gerrard's post match analysis after Rangers defeat last night. Questioning his players mental strength and character instead of, We were brilliant, the fans were brilliant, tosh that we have to listen to week in and week out. I also noted that he refrained from mentioning that he had won the champions league and played in big stadiums.

5

Pecker added 10:04 - Feb 13 I already know that. Tell me what the manager and players are going to do about it.
0

hyperbrit added 10:21 - Feb 13 ...and if the earlier 1-0 victories had gone the other way like they are now Town would be near the bottom.League 1 is about rebooting a club from the top down starting with getting an owner who doesn't need the club for a tax write off and hires one duff manager after another to make sure it stays that way,
0

afcfee added 10:21 - Feb 13 Lambert is useless he is tactically inept. We always get found out 2nd half or against top half teams. We have had literally no progress under him. 20 something win percentage is embarrassing. We should of got a manager with a connection to the club, that's where it went wrong with MM, no matter how good tactically he was he didn't have that bond with the fans. So instead we got a manager with a connection to Norwich!? How long does he need till he finds form? Might need the whole ridiculous 5 year contract. Wilder at Shef Utd doing alright. Shows what a bit of passion can do, bit like Burley. Can't wait till we get rid of PR man and get some passion back.

1

123col added 11:13 - Feb 13 The whole team is just lacking confidence you must stick with the same 11 as much as possible, chopping and changing kills confidence.Lambert please stop tinkering
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