Defender Josh Earl insists Town are still aiming for the top two despite Saturday’s frustrating 1-0 home defeat to Oxford United.

The loss to the U’s saw the Blues drop to eighth in League One, eight points off the top two with only 11 games left to play.

Town dominated the first half and had a number of chances but were unable to take any of them before Oxford’s first passage of passing play in the Blues’ half a minute before half-time carved them open and led to Matty Taylor’s goal.

Earl, who was making his third Town start having joined on loan from Preston in January, admitted it was an exasperating match.

“Yes, a frustrating afternoon,” he said. “Feel like we’ve been on top the majority of the game, we’ve had chances and we’ve just not defended that one chance they’ve had.”

That pattern is one which has become familiar to Town fans this season with a number of games having followed a similar progression.

“It happens in every season, it happens in every team, in every league,” the 21-year-old said. “It’s part of football. But it’s happened to us quite often recently.

"We’ve had many chances and not taken them and then we’ve conceded one sloppy goal we’ve got to do better.”

Why does he believe that’s been the case? “To be honest, I can’t put my finger on an issue. I’m not pointing fingers at my team-mates.

“As a defence we’ve got to defend better, as attackers we’ve got to take some more chances and that’s it at the end of the day.”

The Blues appeared to become more anxious and more frustrated as chances continued to be spurned and Town’s performance drifted in the second period.

“It’s a bit deflating,” the Southport-born defender reflected. “We’ve had loads of chances, we could have put the ball in the back of the net three times and then they go and score one just before half-time. It is obviously frustrating, deflating but we’ve just got to pick ourselves up and go again.”

Looking back at the Oxford goal, Earl felt he and his team-mates could have done better: “I think so, but I think you can do that with every goal. You can look at every goal and pick out little bits that you can do better, so we’ll do the same again and try and rectify our mistakes on the training ground.”

Manager Paul Lambert has stated on a number of occasions that clubs will come to Portman Road, one of League One’s biggest stadiums, and raise their game with the Blues’ home form having suffered as a result.

“Of course they do, but we should as well because it’s a massive club, it’s a massive stadium, it’s a massive fanbase,” Earl said.

“Of course people want to come and play here. We’ve just got to play like it is a massive place and we’ve got to play better.”

He added: “We’re a massive team, we’re a massive club, we’ve got almost unbelievable players that can go and win games all the time, so we’ve just got to go back to the training ground and rectify mistakes we’ve made.”

He says the mood around the training ground remains upbeat: “The mood’s absolutely fine. We’re all still aspiring for the same thing and we still all believe and we still have to believe.

"There’s no point in not believing we can do it because [if that was the case] we’d never be able to do it. If we believe then we’ve always got a chance of doing it.”

And he says he and his team-mates empathise with the frustrations supporters showed at the final whistle: “Of course I understand the fans’ frustration. We’re as frustrated as the fans are.

“We understand that they come every week to watch us play and support us every single week and we appreciate them a lot and we’ve got to be better for them.

“We’ve got to be better for ourselves, we’ve got to be better for the staff, it’s a toughie. We’ve just got to bounce back now.”

A week ago everyone was leaving Portman Road with a spring in their step after the 4-1 vanquishing of Burton Albion, the Blues having come from behind before putting the Brewers to the sword in the second half.

“It could have been the same today but they scored so late on in the first half that it kicked us back a little bit,” Earl added.

“We couldn’t get a foothold in the game in the second half and they’ve managed the game well as well, so it’s a tough one.”

Despite Town now being eighth in the table, Earl insists the aim remains the top two rather than the play-offs.

“We’re still going for the same thing,” he said. “We’ve still got 11 games left to play, there are a lot of points left to play for.”

Looking ahead to next week’s trip to his native North-West and Blackpool, he added: “Three points needed next week, it’s a massive game.”

Photo: TWTD

alfromcol added 21:12 - Feb 23 Better to do "a Boris" at times like this and say nothing and keep out of the limelight.
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Lightningboy added 21:15 - Feb 23 This season shouldn't have been about scraping into a play-off spot & hopefully scraping a win at wembley & scraping our way back into the championship - it should've been about rebuilding & everyone seeing a style of play we could have belief in going forwards like we built when Burley took over. Yes that took a few seasons but everyone could see that something really good was being built season after season and it was only a matter of time that we got promoted - now all I see under this owner is it being a matter of time until we end up in League 2 and beyond. I dread to think where we'll be in a couple of seasons under this owner.

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dirtydingusmagee added 21:24 - Feb 23 4 wins in 22 is awful, but when you look at who the teams we beat are,it verges on shameful, no disrespect to them ,but looking at where we've come from by comparison.It just beggars belief how Lambert has held onto the job let alone have contract extended, its insane, totally and utterly unbelievable.
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ringwoodblue added 22:10 - Feb 23 Unlucky Josh, you must have drawn the short straw to speak after the latest miserable defeat! The script is as familiar as the poor performances. Every game has been massive since the beginning of this poor run but it's not made any difference. When it's too late to reach the playoffs then what will they say?
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Scuzzer added 02:00 - Feb 24 But not as many as the last time this was spouted forth.
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norfolkbluey added 07:26 - Feb 24 Monkeymagic, stow tractor boy I think you have hit it on the head. However, Lambert's in charge of training, preparation for matches and tactics which makes me believe he is the one where to lay the blame for the situation we are in. Most of the players are his and those he retained are his decision. His percentage wins this year are woeful and are leading us to mediocrity. Josh has just shouldered the responsibility of talking to us. WE are fed up to the teeth with this continued of 'tell the fans something'. The fans are not stupid. I just wish there was a little more honesty from the club I love. For example why did ME give PL 5 years? Is it really going to help fill the fans with enthusiasm in times as we are experiencing at the moment with PL in charge. I though Hurst was bad but hey what do we the fans know. ME you do think you can make a silk purse from a pigs ear? Your decision making in football terms has to be questioned because your hiring of managers over the years has been as woeful as PL's results. ITFC has had a massive success record in the past and the fans crave it again. SHeffield United have done it from a similar position, so why not us. 19 years of waiting is beginning to get all of the older fans very frustrated and angry and its down to management. Get rid of the dead wood in the management, the people who have no idea about football and start again with people with experience as for example Arsenal have just done. I love my club and hate to see it dropping out of sight as it is.

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therein61 added 07:33 - Feb 24 Both Portsmouth & Fleetwood play tuesday night using up one of their two games in hand on us let's hope for favourable results because that is what it is coming down to hoping other sides slip up!! providing we can win a game or two ourselves to sneak in.
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Steve_ITFC_Sweden added 07:33 - Feb 24 Many will no doubt disagree, but I am still supporting Lambert. Not that I don't think he could do some things better. His press conferences are often confusing at best, his excessive optimism is wearing a bit thin, and his substitutions seem to come far too late to have a chance of making a difference. BUT, what exactly is he supposed to do? He has to play with the cards he's been dealt with: Keane flatters to deceive, André doesn't seem to take his chances when offered them, Jackson blows hot and cold, and we have a number of problematic injuries - to name a few examples. PL was castigated for constantly changing the side, and people are still doing this now after he has played a fairly consistent eleven for several matches. (We actually did better when he chopped and changed all the time!). As regards the optimism, what would be the point of PL coming out with a pessimistic assessment of our chances? Would that help? PL needed help to get a striker in in January, and he didn't get it. In addition, he has done wonders in galvanising the support, so I think it would be a pity if we deserted the ship now. If we do get a play-off place, then that would be a reasonable result, if not the one we really wanted. So let's get behind the Blues until the end of the season and see what happens. Strange things happen at the end of a season in football. I'm still concerned Naarwich might turn things round, and we must at least have a better chance of some kind of success than they do.

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r2d2 added 08:12 - Feb 24 Lots of points to drop you mean. Stop wheeling these guys out, talking nonsense. Spend a bit more time on the training ground instead.
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TractorRoyNo1 added 09:16 - Feb 24 Been hearing this for about 2 years, sadly tomorrow never comes, fundamental lack of ambition from top to bottom in the club, even some supporters (?) are saying, well another year in thus (sxxt) league wont be so bad.
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BettyBlue added 09:18 - Feb 24 Keep paying the same this team with the same tactics and you'll end up 14th. How about dropping Chambers, Skuse, Judge, Huws and Keane. Stick Sears up front. Start with Dozzell Misouni Morris etc. Go 442 and have a go at these lower league teams. Lambert has used the ITFC time as an audition for a bigger job coping all the Prem league rubbish. Playing weaker sides, team rotation, ditching cup games , cancelling fixtures cos of int. games. A real clown and a born loser. Out of his depth in league one. Promotion is over. He's had over a year to start to make an improvement in the team and playing and he has failed miserablly. SaCK THE OLD WIND BAG.

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BettyBlue added 09:20 - Feb 24 Donacien: Cup Rotation Has Benefited Me Holy: I Don't Like Penalties, That Was Only My Second or Third Save Ever Garbutt: We've Got to Dust Ourselves Down Ahead of Massive Game Donacien: We're Glad to Have a Chance to Bounce Back So Soon Lambert: We Bounced Back Before and We Have to Bounce Back Again Lambert: If They Want to Go and Employ Another Manager, No Problem Chambers: I Can Only Apologise to the Travelling Fans O'Neill: Lambert New Deal the Right Decision to Give Club StabilityJudge: We Truly Believe We Can Turn It Around Norris: Conditions Were Definitely Adverse Judge: Important to Keep Momentum Going Wilson: There's Definitely Momentum, We Need to Keep It Going Jackson: We Weren't at the Races Chambers: Home Improvement Vital Keane: Home Form is Going to Be Vital Keane Still Confident Blues Can Win Automatic Promotion Judge: Ultimately It's Probably Going to Come Down to Home Form Lambert: No Complaints, We Didn't Do Enough Lambert: We Lost to the Better Team Chambers: It Would Be Failure If We Don't Go Up Earl: There's No Reason Why We Can't Go and Win This League Wilson: Tough One to Take But Positives From Performance

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ITFCsince73 added 10:01 - Feb 24 The only player I want to hear from is the skipper, as he speaks for the whole squad. The last he had to say was it would be a disaster if promotion wasn't achieved. As it looks more like an impending disaster as each game passes. It's about time he updated.
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GiveusaWave added 10:36 - Feb 24 Remember this same statement being used over and over again last season.....
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corkblue added 10:42 - Feb 24 Paul Hurst has been released by Scunthorpe Utd. His was a better record at IT. Enough said!
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PortmanTerrorist added 11:39 - Feb 24 So many mistakes this season have had a cumulative effect. Mistakes on the pitch, mistakes on managing injuries, mistakes on swerving games in International breaks, and routine weird substitutions. What PL was thinking bringing Sears on so late was beyond me....he was just winding the crowd up at that point. 3 up top with 30 mins to go would have garnered some respect at least ! Reality is we cannot afford to buy the quality of player that will take us up. let alone make us competitive in the Championship. You can get lucky with the odd recruit (KVY) but that is rare. Statistically, the better way to get hold of players better than this league more routinely is to develop them ourselves. A method we prove time and again, but refuse to back ! Let's stop talking about the youth of this Club and commit to playing them in the 1st team even if some crash and burn. How else are they going to learn. A team with 6-7 Academy players as a priority with a sprinkling of wiser heads around them surely could not do worse than what we are witnessing?! Wasn't that the plan anyway ME? Given that youth has no chance of a game if we somehow fluke promotion from here and that we would almost certainly be down the bottom if not at the bottom of the Championship again, then surely now is the time to stop playing loan players (unless they have committed to the Club long term), drop poor/inconsistent players like Edwards, Chambers, Keane, Skuse, Judge etc.....and lets put some zip that only youth gives you, back into this Club. Make Downes Captain, build the team around him (literally) and we might keep him for another Transfer Window. I believe in ITFC and WITH THE CURRENT OWNER IN PLACE, see this as the only way forward now.

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aas1010 added 11:52 - Feb 24 Well all the team/ management / chairman should stand up pull together and earn 3 points every week and get this club promotion! Players Should be proud to wear the blue shirt and win win win ! Fight for that crest , and the fans !! Take a damn look at the 3 stars above the crest and think of them , what we achieved years past and emulate them now ! We all want 3 points every week ! And our club back in the championship then the premiership !!!

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Marinersnose added 12:14 - Feb 24 Why do the team resort to hoofball against better teams. This is what contributed to so many defeats this season. I know the players are limited in ability but they can play it on the grass. This suits Keane and Jackson who are not target men and win very few headers. Oxford were a very average team but their centre backs won't have an easier game. I agree we are still involved but we look frightened of too many teams and resort to lumping the ball forward.PL needs to address this massive issue.

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Marinersnose added 12:16 - Feb 24 Why do the team resort to hoofball against better teams. This is what contributed to so many defeats this season. I know the players are limited in ability but they can play it on the grass. This suits Keane and Jackson who are not target men and win very few headers. Oxford were a very average team but their centre backs won't have an easier game. I agree we are still involved but we look frightened of too many teams and resort to lumping the ball forward.PL needs to address this massive issue.

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Marinersnose added 12:17 - Feb 24 Monkeymagic that's a pretty accurate assessment imo 👍🏻
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tractorollson added 12:51 - Feb 24 Lots of points, none or only a few we are capable of getting. We will be in league one next season and we dont have anyone that any decent club would want so we wont even get any cash in to spend.
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aas1010 added 12:54 - Feb 24 Felstow1978 told you so last season you didn't beleive me 🤣
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Doctor_Earman added 00:08 - Feb 25 Maybe another trip to the escape room would be for the best. Only this time the staff should lock the players and management in there.
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roystevensonsrocket added 15:58 - Feb 25 We will be in league 1 next season which probably is where we deserve to be at present . Time is needed to turn the team around. Time for skuse and chambers to retire time for dobra Lancaster el mizouri bishop folami all to come through . If Bish can stay fit then we have a sublime player on our hands . Against that I suppose we might have Downes and Woolfenden leave us if we don't go up , Hey Ho !!!

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