Manager Lee Johnson spoke to the media after his side were defeated by Wycombe Wanderers at HIghbury Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Despite conceding three first-half goals, the game saw Johnson’s side respond well in the second period, with Jack Marriott getting on the scoresheet, but ultimately it wasn’t enough as Wycombe ran out 4-1 winners at full-time.
On the game as a whole…
“It’s disappointing if I’m honest; I suppose the risk was whether we could produce that physical and mental strength again for the third game in a week, after three good performances.
“We need to start to believe in ourselves, you’ve got to give Wycombe credit. There were so many poor decisions, in my opinion, based on that level of fatigue. However, that is not an excuse, that is a challenge more than anything.
“The [attitude and belief] was the bit that was so disappointing for me, in terms of the body language that’s been so good over the last two games. It’s about having that will and the skill on a regular basis.
“It’s a humbling loss for us and we’ve got to go back to the drawing board, and players have actually got to stake a claim again and the next opportunity to do that is obviously Tuesday night [against Wigan Athletic].”
On the positive response in the second half…
“It shouldn’t take me to have a team talk and three, four, or five subs to get that group going at half-time. That has to come from within, they have to be held accountable and have to be really honest with the review of the game.
“Look at Junior [Quitirna] for example, he was fantastic in the second half; that’s what we want from him, he’s been one of our standout players, but we’re asking a player like Junior to be able to deliver match-winning performance, we need more of that type performance.
“He’s been a big plus, but there’s more within the group that they’ve got to produce, and they’ve got to show a better hunger and a better desire to actually bring out the ability they’ve got because there is a lot of ability in there - it’s a good squad.”
“The fans clapped us off, I think because, with ten men, we had more of a go than we did with 11. I thank them for that because we’re going to need that moving forward, I was really appreciative of that and so were the players, but I’m not necessarily saying we deserved it.”
On Tuesday night’s clash against Wigan…
“In terms of the EFL Trophy, it’s a great competition. I’ve been lucky enough to win that competition with Sunderland, and I got to the final as well before moving to Bristol City. So, I know how that competition can be a catalyst for good performances.
“What it acts as for us, with our development, is an opportunity for fringe players to be pitched with first-team players to actually show what they can do. If I was one of those players, I’d be absolutely chomping at the bit to play in this game.
“The attitude has got to be on point, we’ve got one win already in the competition, which is good, so probably one more win would see us through. After a performance like that, it is fair game in terms of the team selection I pick over the two or three games.”