Hemmings: We didn’t quite do enough to draw
KANE Hemmings never falls short of an honest appraisal of Burton Albion’s games and the striker acknowledged that the Brewers did not do enough to get a point from Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Charlton Athletic.
Albion conceded the only goal of the game to a Ben Purrington header following a corner a few minutes after captain Deji Oshilaja and Charlton’s Jayden Stockley had been sent off for scuffling off the ball.
But Hemmings says that while that disrupted the team, it was no excuse.
“The game probably got killed in the first half with the two sendingsoff,” said Hemmings.
“After that, we gave them a sloppy goal from our point of view and then it was probably wave after wave of attack but we didn’t quite do enough to break them down and really carve them open to score.
“We gave it everything, that was evident.
“I think we are disappointed with our decisions in the final third, we could have showed a little bit more composure on the ball.
“These are the things we can look at and analyse, so that we are better for the next game.”
Burton were also set back by Cameron Borthwick-Jackson’s early head injury, which resulted in them playing with 10 men for nine minutes before he was substituted.
“I think we started the game on top but what didn’t help was the delay with Cam going off and playing with 10 men,” said Hemmings.
“They started to get on top a little bit then.
“Then, with the sendings off, we were changing things and it took a while for the game to get back into its rhythm and, once it did, we were 1-0 down.
“But I think you earn your own luck and I need to do more, we need to do more, in the attacking third.
“It’s three on the bounce we’ve lost now, two of them here.
“We are disappointed but we will dust ourselves down, analyse it and go again.”
Hemmings was entitled to be frustrated. For the second successive match, he was clipped by the opposing goalkeeper after reaching the ball first, without winning a penalty, and was booked for diving this time.
“He made contact with me and I went down. Would it have been soft from their point of view? Maybe,” he reflected.
“But he’s come out and made contact. The ref booked me – next week it might get given.
“It’s one of those. The refs will do what they want to do.
“Yes, I’m disappointed with the decision. What else was I supposed to do?”
The Burton-born striker knows his team need to rediscover some consistency.
“To push up the table, like we want to do, then we need to show more consistency,” he said.
“I always think if you don’t win the game then you need to try and not get beaten.
“Could we have taken a point from it and maybe thought it was a fair result?”