Winger Gwion Edwards says the Town players understand fans’ frustrations and feel the same way with last night’s 1-0 home defeat to Sunderland seeing the Blues drop to 10th in League One.

Despite losing Kayden Jackson to a 10th-minute red card, Town never looked like being beaten heavily with Charlie Wyke’s goal just before half-time the difference between the teams, while the Blues had one or two opportunities of their own.

“I haven’t seen the tackle back but I don’t think he’s meant to do it,” Edwards said of Jackson’s challenge that led to his dismissal.

“But it’s very difficult then to go on and try and nick something from the game.

“But I think the lads put a shift in and kept it 1-0. It was a shame we didn’t get to half-time at 0-0 but maybe with 11 on the pitch we’d probably have taken something from tonight.”

Edwards was playing only his third game after returning from a hamstring injury which had sidelined him since November, but despite very heavy conditions and being down to 10 men, he came through the match OK.

“I felt alright, to be fair,” he reflected. “It was a very tough game for everyone and when you’ve just come back from injury, that’s not ideal.

“But I’m a fit lad, so it was alright. It was a big shift from everyone and I can’t praise everyone enough for putting that shift in tonight and we probably could have nicked something. We only had a couple of chances, but with 11 on the pitch we probably get a result tonight.”

However, the battling display did nothing for the Blues’ current situation with the loss Town’s sixth in their last seven at home. Overall, Town have taken just 10 points from their last 10 matches, hardly promotion form. In a form table over those games they sit 18th.

The Blues are now 10th, five points off the play-offs, 10 off second and 13 away from leaders Lincoln City.

“It’s frustrating for us all,” Edwards admitted. “We’re feeling it in there and we’ve just got to stick together and keep going.

“All you can do is keep working hard and hopefully you get that little bit of luck and you turn it around and you string a few results together.

“There’s no reason why we can’t do it, we’ve got a good side and like you’ve seen tonight, we’ve been down a man and we’ve stayed in the game all game and had a couple of chances, so with 11 on the pitch tonight we’d probably nick something and it’s a different story.”

He knows the Blues can’t afford not to take those opportunities when they come: “Obviously not, we need to take them and we need to stop conceding as well. The lads have put a shift in tonight, it was a really difficult game and it could have been a different story if we had 11 on the pitch.”

Manager Paul Lambert is coming under more and more pressure as the Blues slip down the table, but Edwards feels the Blues boss knows that comes with the territory.

“You know what it’s like in football, the gaffer knows what it’s like in football,” he said. “You need the results and we’ve just all got to stick together and keep working hard and hopefully we can get those results and turn it around.”

Reflecting on his return to action after more than two months out, he added: “It’s great to be out there again, obviously it’s frustrating and disappointing with the results but I’ll keep on trying as hard as I can and hopefully I can get those goals or crosses into the box to set someone up so we can turn it around.”

He added: “To be fair, I felt good out there. Even on Saturday, I felt good, I had a couple of chances on Saturday, I probably should have finished them, so hopefully on Saturday coming I can get a chance and put it away and we can get back at it and the team can get results.”

Prior to his hamstring injury, Edwards had been one of Town’s outstanding performers, scoring five goals: “I was flying, it was difficult, it happened in training and then I had a little setback again then. I probably would have been fit then by Christmas and then the training ground closed.

“It’s a strange season, it’s a strange world out there for everyone, not just us. We’ve just got to stick together and hopefully we can get our bit of luck and turn it around.”

Town will need Edwards to get back on the goal trail with Jackson suspended for three games following his red card, Oli Hawkins out due to knee surgery and James Norwood struggling with his hamstring problem.

“We’re not getting any luck out there, we’re struggling with strikers this year, for whatever reason,” the Welshman continued.

“All I can do is try my best and hopefully I can get a few more goals. I’m confident I can, confident the other lads in the team can, whatever it is, set pieces or from open play, I’m confident we can get goals. We need that little bit of luck. We’ll stick together and we’ll keep on going.”

The former Swansea trainee is relishing playing on his preferred left flank: “It’s been nice to be out there. I don’t mind playing on the right but I’ve played left all my career and I’ve scored most of my goals this season playing there.

“Hopefully on Saturday I can nick that goal and get my form back and try and lift the spirit in the team and get the result.”
"Edwards felt for Luke Thomas, who made his full Blues debut on the right against the Black Cats.

“It was a difficult game for him tonight, he’s come in and he’s put a great shift in and you can see he’s got something about him,” he said. “Even on Saturday he had a few nice little runs.

“It was a difficult game for him, hopefully he recovers well and he can go again Saturday and add something to the team.”

Asked what he says to supporters who currently critical of their team’s performances and down in the dumps, he said: “We totally understand them, we understand they’re frustrated. We’re frustrated, we want the results.

“It’s their right to be frustrated, they want us up there, we want to be back up there. We should be in the Championship.

“Where we are in the league is not where any of us want to be, so they’ve got to stick together, stick with us. We’re sticking together to try and work as hard as we can to try and get back up there, not just for us but for them. We want to try and get back up there in the Championship so we can give something back for them.”

Edwards, who joined the Blues for £700,000 in the summer of 2018 from Peterborough, is out of contract in the summer, Town having taken up the one-year option on his current deal at the end of 2019/20.

Quizzed on whether there has been any progress on a new deal, he said: “I’m just concentrating with playing. I’m happy playing, I’m playing on the left and all I can do is try and add goals to the team and we’ll see, whatever happens, happens.”

Have there been any discussions regarding a new deal? “Nothing since last year and a little bit in the summer, but I’ve no personally heard anything since.

“I was happy to keep playing and seeing how the season goes, give my all and try and do the best for the team and then I’m guessing we’ll discuss it in the summer.

“Like I said, I’m enjoying playing my football, I’m playing in my position, I’ve scored a few goals, so if I can carry on adding goals, I’m sure they’ll come up with something.”

But he admits there may come come a point where he might look at options elsewhere: “Of course, it’s one of those things. But I’m not really looking into it too much, I’m enjoying playing on the wing, so if I can add some goals to the team and get us up there, then that’s all I’m concentrating at the minute.

“I’m not concentrating on contracts or where I’m going to be next summer, if I’m here or somewhere else. Obviously, it’s a great club to be at, it’s a great club and I want to get us back in the Championship.”

But, like any other player, the Carmarthen-born wideman wants to play at the highest level he can and joined the Blues in the second tier.

“I didn’t come here to come to League One, to be honest,” he said. “I signed for the club thinking we were going to be up there in the Championship, but for now the task is to get us back there, and that’s all I want to do is get us back to the Championship.”

Town have beaten only two teams currently in the top 10, Accrington and Crewe earlier in the campaign when the Railwaymen were well down the table, while losing eight games against sides at the division's top end.

Edwards admits that record can’t continue if Town are to be in the promotion shake-up: “We needed the win and, as I said, with 11 on the pitch we probably nicked something, I don’t think there was too much in it.

“We kept it 1-0 all game with a man down, so with 11 on the pitch we probably get a result. We had a couple of chances and the lads put a great shift in, that’s all we could have asked.

“When something like that happens you’ve just got to work as hard as you can, and we did that tonight. Hopefully on Saturday we can go again and we can get a result.”

He added: “They’re a great bunch of lads in there, every day in training we go again. The results haven’t been great, we know that, we understand the frustration from the fans, we’re frustrated.

“They want to see us winning, they want to cheer is along, we want to win and give them something back. We’re working hard to do that and hopefully we can do that sooner rather than later.”

Looking to Saturday’s visit to Crewe Alexandra, one place and one point above the Blues having played three more games, Edwards knows it won’t be an easy fixture with the Railwaymen having lost only their first game in 11 in League One at Gillingham 4-1 last night.

The Blues won the Portman Road match between the teams 1-0 but the result might well have gone the other way.

“I think we nicked the result,” he admitted. “They were a good side and it’s another tough game again, there’s no easy games in this league.

“We’ll recover right and we’ve got to go again, we’ve got to go out there on Saturday give everything we can and find something to try and nick the result.”

Crewe have lost impressive right-back Perry Ng to Cardiff City since the start of the transfer window, however, Edwards knows the Alex will still be difficult opposition.

“Maybe, but it’s still going to be a tough game, we’re not going to go there thinking we’re definitely going to get the three points, but we’ll do there and put a shift in like we did and we’ll try and create more chances and try and tighten up at the back, and hopefully we can get that bit of luck to turn the results around and climb back up that table.”

Photo: Matchday Images

IpswichToon added 13:51 - Jan 27 Well Lambert has survived the storm it would seem. We could lose every game from here til the end of the season and he'll clearly still be here. He may even get another contract extension.
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Billericay12 added 14:30 - Jan 27 Hard to see a way out of this mess. Down to 10 men and we bring on a striker who has never scored a league goal for us and rarely looks like he will. ME is unlikely to put in any more than the 7-8 million he already does every season and even if he did how could we attract anyone decent when we are already at the limit of the salary cap ? So apart from loaning a young striker who will be unproven we are stuck with what we have but what we have ain't good enough which disappoints me to say as I had high hopes for some of the lads that have come through the academy.

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dirtydingusmagee added 14:43 - Jan 27 nothing against Edwards, but really fed up seeing same crap churned out on the pitch then having these players come out couple of days later with these meaningless ,statements, McCarthy and .Lambert have in past tried to shift the blame on to fans. The grounds are empty now no fans to blame, has it made any difference ? NONE. Evans wont be looking in on here, he wont be watching the games, he will be reading the FT ,and doing whatever else he does, he isnt interested in football.If he was only half interested he would see and hear what is going on.He would be embarrassed by the situation, embarrassed that he employed this serial loser as manager, embarrassed that he rewarded failure with an extension to his contract. But NOTHING, NO ACTION, NO REACTION, NO ANSWERS, NO CLUE , ...NOTHING, except Lambert has his full support, i take it by that he means he pays Lamberts wages enabling him to live very comfortably for achieving sod all. THIS SITUATION CANNOT CONTINUE .

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bluechelmsford9 added 15:32 - Jan 27 Gwion Edwards is our top goal scorer with 5 goals (good for a winger) in comparison to Charlie Wyke of Sunderland who has 12 goals. Just letting that sink in. I can't be bothered to comment on the article itself - what's the point.
3

MickMillsTash added 15:48 - Jan 27 I keep checking the website - has the Lambert gone yet ?
2

BobbyBell added 16:03 - Jan 27 Burley and Butcher should have been given the job instead of Lambert. At least they know how a successful team can play. Mills and Wark are also still around and happy to help. It's so frustrating that we are playing this awful and toothless system. We can't score and simply don't look like scoring. Where is the passion, desire and eagerness to surge forward and attack teams? We can't even worry league one defenders. Yes we want to see good football but what is the point if you don't score goals?

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Gcon added 16:16 - Jan 27 We either act now and stand a chance of promotion or we delay the inevitable until it's too late. I think we all know which route Evans will take...
3

aas1010 added 16:33 - Jan 27 Come on Evans sack him !!
3

RobITFC added 16:38 - Jan 27 We are the laughing stock of the nation, no other club would be run this way, we are a poor lg.1 team , how much lower can we go before something is done to change the rot ?
2

mib added 16:41 - Jan 27 Bettyblue .I thought you had given up supporting town, do you really know what you are doing.
1

del45 added 16:43 - Jan 27 Followed this club for over 70ys seen some great times and some not so good times but this has got to be the worst ever all though the club.
3

airliner added 16:45 - Jan 27 It's not the players it's the stubborn manager and Marcus Evans we don't understand. Pl is just a nutter knowing sides play against us knowing they will win every time. It's just a joke , why can't they see it ????
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BettyBlue added 16:46 - Jan 27 I have.
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BettyBlue added 16:54 - Jan 27 I hope the team lose every game until Evans and Lambert and all the players have gone.
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norfolkbluey added 17:04 - Jan 27 After the Crewe game and we have lost PL will go, won't he!!!!?
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del45 added 17:08 - Jan 27
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aas1010 added 17:13 - Jan 27 Gone yet ??? Oh hurry up sack him . Make us all cheer😭
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Safetyfirstmrwark added 17:15 - Jan 27 I actually feel some sympathy for some of the players. Evans out.
1

del45 added 17:23 - Jan 27 Have followed this club over 70yrs this has got to be the worst ever all that comes out of the club every statement is aways full of bullish.. t come on tell as the truth.
2

Skip73 added 17:59 - Jan 27 "Theres no reason why we can't do it" The same thing was said last season and about avoiding relegation the season before that. Stop BSing, there is every reason why you can't do it, as you've proven time and time again.
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Gforce added 18:05 - Jan 27 Dirtyding : Good Post totally agree. I sadly believe we will also lose all 3 of the games coming up. Crewe are a very good footballing side, who have recently been in excellent form and we were very fortunate to beat them earlier in the season. Blackpool are also in great form, just beaten Wigan 0-5, will inevitably be another home defeat, especially without any strikers. As for Peterborough away forget it. Surely Lambert will go after that, with us languishing in 15th place.

3

grubbyoik added 18:19 - Jan 27 Do you remember the Burley years playing 3-5-2 with wingbacks... its like a forgotten dream.. overlapping wingbacks and two strikers... i ll say it again.. 2 strikers.. ahh but a dream..
2

Letchworth_Blue added 18:28 - Jan 27 Every week the same crap. One of the players comes out and says they are frustrated, they would do better if x, y or z happened, they know how the fans are feeling. I'm fed up of hearing it. The club has fallen a massive distance, not only in terms of league position, but the complete apathy and resignment to its own demise. We've got ourselves into a spiraling rut where no-one is prepared to take big decisions and be a leader. Our pathetic owner hiding behind rhetoric and the fact he is covering his own debt. A manager who is totally deluded to the situation and thinks that by saying he doesn't care what people think or what pressure he is under, he is somehow going to get respect from supporters. This club needs a complete reset before it ends up playing non-league football. Starting from the top and work down.

1

BluedanW added 18:37 - Jan 27 These players actually believe we should be in the championship. Yes the club should be. But not one player in our team would warrant a place in a championship club with their performances this season. But they would all jump ship in a heartbeat to play at a higher level.
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istanblue added 18:52 - Jan 27 Yawn.
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