Town boss Kieran McKenna admitted the Blues need to do better following their frustrating 1-0 defeat at Preston North End.

Milutin Osmajic’s 11th-minute penalty was enough to give the Lancastrians the points, despite the Blues dominating thereafter but while largely huffing and puffing as they looked for an equaliser.

The defeat leaves the Blues still without a win from their opening three games and 18th in the early season table.

“I’m really annoyed about the result. We wanted to give ourselves and the supporters a better day today,” McKenna said.

“We need to do better, that’s my overriding feeling. Every one of us, me first, we need to do better.

“In terms of the game, we started and have conceded a goal that you can’t concede if you want to be a successful Championship team.

“A really soft goal. We don’t defend the goal-kick well enough, we don’t defend the first real ball into our box. If you don’t defend or aren’t stronger in those situations, then we won’t be successful this year, that’s clear, and we really need to face up to that.

“After that, we had lots of play, there was some good intent in the first half, some good passages. We created some chances but not as many as we would have liked and as much as I think we certainly should have got one goal back.

“I think at the moment our attacking play is not cohesive enough, the connections on the pitch aren’t strong enough, they need to be built. The balance of the forwards and team probably isn’t quite right.

“We need to build those connections, find the right balance, find a way to be a consistent threat, find a belief that when things go against us, if we stick to doing the right things enough, that we will create more chances than if we don’t.

“We created some pressure and some chances but we didn’t create enough clear or work the goalkeeper enough.”

Asked whether the penalty, conceded when Osmajic and the grounded Jacob Greaves tangled with the Blues struggling to clear a Thierry Small’s cross from the left, McKenna said: “I’m more frustrated with ourselves. I think it looks a little bit six of one and half a dozen of the other, but I’m more frustrated at our part of it.

“We didn’t defend the goal-kick well enough, we got our positioning wrong, so that the left wing-back gets a clear run down our wing.

“And then we weren’t strong enough in the box when we knew what was coming. We should deal with the situation.

“After that, there’s a tussle in the box and the striker’s kicked through Greavesy’s legs and maybe bought it pretty well. But I’m more annoyed at our part of it.”

Asked what’s required for the Blues to improve as he believes they should, he added: “It’s a culmination of everything. The balance of the front unit being right, which in certain areas is maybe not quite right at the moment.

“On our right-hand side we’ve got an unfamiliar pairing over there at the moment, so we need to get everyone in their right slots, get the balance of our front unit right.

“It’s time to work on connections. I know no one wants to hear anything about time and I’m not going to have much grace with time but the number of games that Ben Johnson and Jack Clarke have played together on the right-hand side is pretty small.

“Sam Szmodics linking with that unit is very, very few. Leif [Davis] and Jaden [Philogene], very, very few. Tayls [Jack Taylor] and Azor [Matusiwa], very, very few.

“We’ve got new connections all over the pitch and that’s hard work, working on how we’re going to be dangerous, how the players can complement each other, how we can create the chances that we want to do.

“I believe that we can do it, we’ve done it before and I believe that we can do it again, but I also know that we’re not going to have the grace of too much time because there is expectation on us this year and we want the expectation to be on us, so we need to produce quickly better than we did today.”

One player who did please his manager was Azor Matusiwa, who appears to be adjusting to live in the Championship following his move from Reims in France.

“I’m pretty certain he’s going to improve a lot,” McKenna continued. “He showed some good composure on the ball, knitted the team together well and he should get stronger as we go along.”

Photo: TWTD

Essexnblue added 18:47 - Aug 23 Dear oh Dear starting to sound like Paul Cook
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SussexTractor added 18:49 - Aug 23 Not enough shots on target and lacking fluidity. The tempo and build up is too slow. Play Akpom up front with Hirst.
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Mark added 18:51 - Aug 23 We really are missing Morsy I think, setting standards and driving us forwards. I don't really understand why we let him leave on a free transfer when he had a year left on his contract. We need get some key singings through the door to give us a lift, then go onto beat Derby and start a winning run.
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BeachBlue added 18:52 - Aug 23 The penalty happened in the 11th minute. Our first shot on target was in the 93rd minute. We don't need excuses or comments about connections, we've had preseason, there was enough players who've been here for more than a season. We are too slow in our build up play, we don't take the game by the scruff of the neck. We don't have a plan B. We are too predictable. It has too change next Saturday in a massive way, because we are heading for mediocrity at best.

15

itfc1108 added 18:52 - Aug 23 We didn't need to have all of these new connections though, bedding in all at once. Our great team has been completely ripped up, with no improvement.
5

THELATVIAN added 18:53 - Aug 23 Am I the only one watching dross! Sideways, sideways, back, back, sideways, sideways..... what kind of football is this ? CHange the tactics for 'Football sake'!!!!! Built the community with high hopes, to watch this ?!! This Irish side ain't doing it for me. Mr. McKenna... you were supported last year through thick and thin... time for a rethink mate OR can't you see it ?

6

blueoutlook added 18:54 - Aug 23 Dear oh dear Kieran. Same old same old being trotted out every week. We don’t actually see any improvement at all. In fact it gets worse!
3

Billysherlockblue added 18:55 - Aug 23 F.s k. Mck. Connections my backside. Even if we had 11 lads who didn't know each other I'm sure they could put in a tackle and try 100 per cent instead of falling over all the time. Take a leaf out of sammys book.
1

Bert added 18:55 - Aug 23 In my opinion a very, very honest assessment of what needs to improve and where. He knows the pressure is now on him to make it all come together. We have the players but the system is lacking any fluency, bite and intensity. We all certainly expect better.
8

Woodbridgian added 18:57 - Aug 23 Yes we do need to do better! But McKenna needs to have a good talk to himself. Same old same old. No plan B , picking the same players hopelessly out of form Clarke an example but not the only one. Not realising you need to change anything until the 74th minute. You’ve got enough credits in the bank to get anyway with not winning a competitive game of football for nearly a year but things change quickly. George Burley probably achieved more, took us the PL and Europe but then back to the championship and was gone by the end of October. Don’t make the same mistakes act now and be bold. Also to Mark Ashton take your own advice and be the best example of yourself and get some players in NOW

9

Billysherlockblue added 18:57 - Aug 23 Ps try something different instead of talking rubbish about connections. Try to put a rocket up their well paid arses. Look at Preston gave it their all.
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TimmyH added 18:58 - Aug 23 Well that's pretty obvious, with the players we have at this level a large percentage of them are underperforming or just can't play as unit - some of that has to be down to the manager or not being able to come up with a style of playing. When we were in the Championship in 2023/24 we were far more free flowing playing partly on the break with the speed of Burns etc. but now in the last 3 games look a pole apart from that.

11

Beattiesballbag added 19:02 - Aug 23 If you haven't got anything good to say best to say nothing at all.................................
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prebbs007 added 19:03 - Aug 23 62% possession 16 shots to 2 573 passes to 222. STILL LOSE. Same team as last week. £14m on a Leicester reserve player. No plan B. Subs far too late. Clarke worst signing in years. Hirst can’t hit target let alone score. 4 wins in 41 games any other manager would have been sacked. Sort it out or get out KMc stop doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result that’s the definition of insanity.

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Blaggers12 added 19:05 - Aug 23 He's right though. He knows clearly it wasn't good enough, but we saw Matusiwa have a much better game today, and more minutes for Akpom and Cajuste. Davis not at his best today. Another week to work on things and get them right. Lets not wet the bed just yet.
9

blueboy1981 added 19:13 - Aug 23 Same interview words, same formation, same tactics, same results - it’s all become Appalling to be honest, even for the non-biased Diehards.
4

blueboy1981 added 19:19 - Aug 23 I think McKenna is now at the point of his own boredom - and knows no other way ? Remember Maidstone and Bromley anyone ?
1

dirtydingusmagee added 20:24 - Aug 23 The fans were very patient and tollerant last season ,and have every right to expect better this season . Fans paying to see there team losing week in week out last season deserve to see an improvement at this lower level ,We keep hearing we have the strongest squad ,we were made favourites to get promoted.Expectations were high, but we seemto have been slow and lacking in getting prepared for this campaign , i for one came to thinking it will be a mid table finish, unless a lot happens this by way of transfers [not hopeful ] and in training and mindset of players and manager, mid table looks like being a tall order.Ive said before early days , but hell.

5

bluearmy81 added 20:40 - Aug 23 How about a creative midfielder and a striker who can score goals. Considering we knew in February that Delap was off. Stop making excuses after every game about partnerships. We're having to start again due to the club letting far too many players leave and vastly overspending on inadequate replacements.
4

tetchris added 21:31 - Aug 23 What a load of guff!
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surgery added 22:08 - Aug 23 The man’s a genius realisng that
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