“We are not in same pond as Bury”
CHEAP goals and a lack of belief were Michael Duff’s main frustrations after the defeat at Bury ended their seven-game unbeaten run.
He said: “I think they are the best team in the league and they showed that.
“I was disappointed with the goals we gave away, giving a corner away for the first and for the second goal I am not quite sure what we were doing to be honest.
“Nobody got carried away and thought we had arrived, we are playing a new formation and the players are learning it.
“I am not sure it was a 4-1 game, but they were clinical with the way they have taken the two goals in the second half and that was the most disappointing thing.”
Duff admitted that “not enough players turned up” at Gigg Lane, and some of them were not at their best.
He said: “I don’t think anyone would argue with that. They’d probably tell you the same. I am not going to say I thought we were unlucky or they edged it, they were better than us.
“But in the last six weeks we’ve seen a bit shift in mentality, a big shift in performances, so we have lost one game.
“On Saturday we won against a good team and I said we don’t think we’ve arrived. I don’t think we’ve all of a sudden become a bad team again.
“I am disappointed after a bit of confidence, a few people just looked like that didn’t quite believe and they need to keep believing because we are improving but they are not our market at the minute. We are not in the same pond as Bury.”
The Robins got themselves back in the game after slow start with Chris Clements’ equaliser, but the second Bury goal just before halftime was the turning point.
“It was a good goal ,” said Duff. “It was almost the most frustrating thing because we’ve asked them to play wide and then the two wide centre-halves join in. We have done it and scored from it.
“I thought we could dominate them physically in the middle of the pitch with our two centre forwards and Chris Clements got up and won a header, so we got better balls in the box with the two ‘big uns’ up top would have been more of a threat.
“But we didn’t work the ball well enough into wide areas enough and that’s what’s killed us.
“If we’d have got in at 1-1, I think it might have panned out a little bit different.
“But at half-time when you are really looking deep into their eyes and thinking, do you really believe we can get in this, I am not sure there were enough of us that did.”
“There has been no shouting and bawling after the game because you can’t say brilliant when we win and rubbish when we lose.
“We didn’t turn up, we know that and the players know that, but in the last four weeks from where we were to where we are, we are in a better place.”