Cook: Disappointing, We'd Managed Their Threat Saturday, 14th Aug 2021 18:29 Town boss Paul Cook admitted the Blues’ 2-1 defeat at Burton was disappointing as he felt his team had gained control of the game having dealt with the Brewers’ threat at the point that the penalty, which Lucas Akins converted, was conceded. Asked what he made of the game, Town's first ever defeat to Burton, Cook said: “Just disappointing, isn’t it? We were just at a stage of the game, with the greatest respect to Burton, who were probably excellent at times in the first half, where we’d managed their threat, the threat was there no more. “We’d moved up to the halfway line with the ball, our centre-halves were high up the pitch, we were dominating the game in terms of getting our flair players to open them up and get that winner. “And [we made] individual mistakes, which we’re making, there’s no problem with that, we can’t keep making them. “I’ll never blame penalty misses me, it’s football. But when Scotty [Fraser]’s putting the ball down it’s looking a great day for Ipswich and unfortunately we end up on the back end of a defeat and I don’t think we deserved it.” When it was put to him it was a case of fine margins, he agreed: “It’s all it is. You saw Kyle Edwards coming off the bench what a good player he’s going to be for the club. “You’ve got to stay with the positives. [George] Edmundson’s in the building, a centre-half, [Hayden] Coulson’s in the building, Chaplin has a little niggle, there are so many positives. “We’re all down today. I thought our travelling support was terrific, great credit to them, they turned up in great numbers. It was a lovely day. “Good luck to Burton, they’re a tough team to play against, they put you under pressure at all times, but we should have left with something today, that’s for sure.” He says that his team should have looked to get the ball out of play in the build-up to the penalty. “It’s football. What you can’t do, you can never kid supporters,” he continued. “If you’re a manager or a coach and you’re telling everyone the world’s going to be alright and they’re watching the world not be alright, you’re a bit delusional. “Today we were at a point in the game where we couldn’t lose it. We were in control of the match. We’d managed their best spells, there’s no doubt about that and then little mistakes in possession where we get a little bit loose, we get a bit casual, we’re not set and all of sudden they counter-attack, it’s a penalty and we’re all out of position. That can’t happen and won’t happen.” He says those mistakes will be ironed out as the team develops: “One hundred per cent. Even last week against Morecambe, we couldn’t lost the game at the point we gave the goal away. “Today was the same, we’ve lost a game and drew a game, but with all due respect to Morecambe, we should have drawn both of them, Morecambe 1-1 or we win 2-1, today should have been 1-1. “We’re in possession of the ball, if you stop the clip when we’ve got it, they have no one in our half and they score, by a misplaced pass. And we work hard on them in training. Those passes are simple. The decisions where we play and what the lads should be doing in possession. “What happens sometimes, not when the game gets easy, that would be disrespectful to Burton, but we were high up the pitch, retaining possession and we’ve got to make sure we do it better.” He added: “We just keep going, we’ve got such a long season, the highs and lows. We know we’ve got sustain winning football to win games. I’ve got every confidence that we’ll do that. “I know what’s in the dressing room, I know what’s in the building, I know what the fitness levels have been. “If you look at the goals we’ve conceded, especially the second ones, they’re both headers when we’ve got the ball, that has to stop.” Cook took positives in particular from the way his team dealt with Burton in the first half: “We did well. Physically, our back four wasn’t the strongest today but we did well. They managed the moments in the game. “We’re really disappointed with the goals, we’re disappointed that we haven’t scored more because we felt that on a lovely pitch that we would get chances. And we’ve just got to keep working away at it.” Regarding the missed penalty, he added: “Scotty Fraser, I don’t think he missed one for the MK Dons, did he? No one misses deliberately. Like I said, just lick my wounds as a manager, compliments to our supporters, they travelled in great numbers, it was great to see. “I think everyone would probably say that we did show some glimpses of what we’re hopefully be about, but we know what to get up and running quickly.” Cook cited Kyle Edwards’s display from the bench as another positive: “As we keep signing players, we’ve had to put a new squad together. We’re really disappointed to travel home with no points because being a manager I’ve been around, I know that even if we draw today we’re two unbeaten. Everyone will write different scripts, that’s football, and it doesn’t bother me, I’ve been in it too long to know. “You just keep picking your points up as you go along and you’ll be OK. For us it was really disappointing, we should have been shaking hands at 1-1 and saying ‘Wasn’t it a fair result’.” Regarding Louie Barry’s league debut, he said: “He’s just a young boy who’s got a bright future. It’s a tough place to come. He’s been given his debut today, Macauley Bonne’s played a couple of games now. We’re finding out the best permutations, who’ll play as a 10, who’ll play as a nine. “We have got good options. Chaplin’s injured, which is a blow, Norwood’s injured, Wes Burns is injured, Sone Aluko’s injured, so we have got a few little niggles. The reality is we’ll just keep working away.” Asked whether any of them have a chance of being involved at Cheltenham, he said: “I’m miserable tonight, as you can imagine, so we’ll just stay miserable for a bit before we look to Tuesday.” Quizzed on whether Town are, as reported, set to sign Cameron Burgess from Accrington, Cook was keeping his cards close to his chest: “I don’t know anything about that at the minute. What did Arsene Wenger say? I didn’t see it!” Is the centre-half a player he likes? “I’m not going to discuss that, we are strengthening. I’m not being disrespectful to any other clubs about potential signings, we’ll just keep doing our business as well as we can.”
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