Graham Turner's thoughts after the 1-1 draw at Bristol City
Graham Turner couldn’t mask his disappointment at watching his side squander another valuable lead tonight at Bristol City. Jon Taylor’s terrific goal before the break separated the sides at half-time and Town looked to have weathered the storm.
But Jay Emmanuel Thomas equalised for the struggling Robins six minutes before the end.
“It was two points dropped,” said the Town supremo. “It was a missed opportunity and when you concede so late in the game you have to be disappointed. It’s another occasion where we’ve lost a lead away from home. I thought first half we were very compact, we were neat and tidy but we dropped a little bit deeper after the break. We’d controlled the game and looked as good as I’ve seen us this season when we passed the ball well and scored a terrific goal on the break. We have to be encouraged by that especially when you look at the youngsters we’ve got in the side and the age of the side. It’s coming along nicely but we might easily have had all three points tonight.
“We expected pressure from a side with the quality they (Bristol) have and they hold a physical presence. We knew they were going to get plenty of balls into our box but in the main we dealt with them very well. Where we came unstuck and showed a bit of naivety was trying to keep the ball. We look like we’re trying to score every time we’ve got the ball. We were running with it when we should have been passing it and giving it away when we should have been keeping it. We’ve got pace in the side which gives us an alternative as you’re always looking to get a player away.”
Turner appreciated the workrate of his side but didn’t think tiredness was an issue: “We worked hard throughout but without doubt we should have kept the ball better than we did. They changed shape slightly but it wasn’t anything that we shouldn’t have been able to handle. We have to learn when we get into positions like this that keeping possession of the ball is vital. You don’t have to be looking to score every time you’ve got the ball but you need to be aware when teams are pressing you.”
GT thought that on balance, his side might easily have had six more points to show from their last three aways which have all resulted in stalemates: “In each of those games we’ve been in winning positions. But with the energy we’ve got, the enthusiasm we’ve got we’ll get better.”
The gaffer thought his side had a tough opening seven games and is contented with the way his side has demonstrated character and ability.
On now to the home game with Wolves. Was Turner looking forward to it and did it hold any fears for his side? “I don’t think so,” he said. “If you can’t look forward to games like that then you shouldn’t be playing football. It’s great for us to be facing big clubs and coming to big grounds like this after some of the trips we’ve been on down the years. Walsall have pulled off a great win at Wolves tonight so credit to them.”