Lost faith

always still backed myself to score.

“So, going into the Stoke game, I did have the feeling, at the back, they were vulnerable and thought we could get amongst them, and in the first half I thought we were excellent.

“In the end, I thought it was a fair point that we deserved and now we move on.”

So were just two points due reward for all the hard work put in against Southampton and Stoke?

“You have to realise not a lot of players in our dressing room have experienced Boxing Day football and the game at this time of year – it’s always a difficult challenge,” said Ince.

“Especially in the Premier League, the physical demands and mental demands of what you are expected to do are massive.

“We are not a huge squad and with the way the manager wants to play, with the intensity we show game in and game out, covering the yards and getting in people’s faces.

“At this level it was a great point at Southampton on Saturday and maybe a little disappointing on Boxing day.

“That’s because Stoke came set up to use their set pieces and they had only one chance in open play from which they managed to score.

“Apart from that it was just set pieces, whereas from our point of view maybe we could have made better decisions in the final third with the final cross or the final pass.

“But it’s another point gained and another point in the right direction, especially with teams in and around us and below us continuing to struggle.

“We can only concentrate on what we do and try and pick up points along the way.

“I think we are doing that, and now we have another chance (against Burnley) to get the John Smith’s rocking again on Saturday.”