Manager Kevin Horlock reflects on yesterday's defeat.
DK: Bit of a harsh one to take.
KH: Yeah, look, it's never nice losing games of football. We've been on a great run, you want to continue that, but I think today we've lost the game first half. In my opinion we've not come out and played at a high enough tempo, we didn't move the ball quick enough. Yes, they let us have possession it was just a little bit late, and obviously when they get the goal they've got something to hold onto. We huffed and puffed second half, we showed more intensity after obviously addressing it at half time, but football's a horrible game and you can't play games at half cop. First half, that cost us, if we played at the tempo we played second half, I think we win the game but fair play to them. They've obviously defended for large parts of that second half, and we were pretty good second half, we created chances and maybe not had the rub of the green, or not been ruthless enough in front of goal. And they score on the counter, Leroy Lita's been doing that for 20 odd years, when he gets the ball and if you back off that's the result. He shifts it onto his right foot and finishes, he's a goal scorer, so fair play to them they've come here and obviously got the 3 points, but I'm hoping it's a lesson for us, where we're not the finished article. Nothing's won in November, you've got to be consistent, you've got to give that same approach where you go out and you run over teams, you run off teams and cause problems, and first half we just didn't cause enough problems.
KH: Obviously missing Keiran is a big miss for us, obviously but we've won the last couple without him, then losing Dan but again I don't think that's the reason we lost. I think we just didn't play with enough intensity and enough purpose first half, obviously when they get the goal they've got something to hold onto, which they did. You've got to say they defended and sort of ended up resulting slinging balls in the box, set-pieces, just slinging them in the box when they're a big side that can head things and can defend, and it's disappointing massively, because at home we see it as an opportunity to carry on a good run, but I'm hoping the lads take it as a lesson. I think it's our first defeat in the league since the first game of the season. Obviously we took that on the chin and responded really well, so I'm hoping this is a lesson that we aren't the finish article. We want more, we want more, and it's about keeping your standards high, so they're a good group. They understand so hopefully the reaction will be good.
KH: I just don't think we moved the ball with much purpose, look obviously we've had a lot of rain, the pitch was heavy so I'll maybe give them that as a little bit of an excuse, but second half I thought we was much higher tempo. There was more energy, that we were chasing lost causes but it's too late, so I've just said to them, look, I'd rather our start - which we have done - we've been good, so it's difficult for me to criticise too much but if we play with that intensity that we finished with, or played with, in the second half I think we win the game. At this level you can't afford to get going when you fall a goal behind in the first half and go out second half trying to rectify it. You need to start with that intensity and it's a lesson to be learned.
DK: Does it make it anymore frustrating being our first home league defeat?
KH: Any defeat, whether its home, away, whatever is tough to take but you've got to learn from it. We've got some good players and we're a good team, we're normally hard to beat and obviously we've gone for it, put forwards on the pitch and left ourselves a little bit open, and the second goal comes, but it all stems from the first half.
DK: Would you say we still had the better chances?
KH: Hundred percent, I think if anyone's here I think on another day we score 2 or 3, but we didn't hit the target and didn't make the most of them. That's the danger when you play at this level, and you've got players playing against you like Leroy Lita. There's always a danger that he's going to bite you in the bum, obviously the second goal killed the game off completely.
DK: Tuesday, at home again to Berkhamsted.
KH: Yeah, and locally we'll see the lessons been learned and we start with a high intensity, dominate possession, run forward, chase lost causes, shut them down, and if we do that we'll have a better chance of winning games of football, like we have done previous to this game.
DK: What needs to be better, other than the intensity?
KH: I think that's it. I think we kept the ball really well first half, but we didn't really ask any questions of the goalkeeper, I can't remember goalkeeper really making a save. We had half chances, but we didn't have that urgency or bodies in the box in the first half, like we did in the second half. Obviously you need to take chances as well, which we didn't second half, but sometimes in football you need like a reset button. So we're 13 games in and it's our first home defeat and our first defeat since first game of the season, I can't be too disappointed with that, but I am disappointed with, not that we've lost a game - before I've said we're going to lose more games of football this season - but it was in the manner that we lost it. First half, we just weren't good enough.
DK: On the other hand Marco hasn't had much to do at all.
KH: No, which makes it even harder to take, but you always open yourself up to that happening. Yeah, I can't remember them having too many chances, but they've scored 2 goals and we haven't. We've huffed and puffed and we were the better team over the 90 minutes, but being the better team and having possession, creating chances don't win you games of football unfortunately.
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