Paul Hurst reflected on a 1-0 defeat to Walsall in Sky Bet League Two.
He told iFollow Iron: “Overall, a draw would have been a fair result. I felt we were the better side in the first half. In the second half, they had a little spell where they were better and got in front.
“Two moments – one leading to the corner and one from the corner – where we switched off has cost us a point.”
The manager praised the wing play from his wide men but believed his side were missing the injured striker Jamie Proctor.
He said: “After Walsall started well in the first five minutes, we got on top of the game. Getting the ball to Alex Gilliead and Ryan Colclough was proving fruitful in getting up the pitch.
“We put some good balls in the box but you’re looking for someone to get on the end of them and we lacked that today. We lacked a physical presence and that’s where we missed Jamie Proctor.”
He provided an update on the striker, along with Junior Brown, who was forced to withdraw with injury late in the second half.
“The initial diagnosis (on Proctor, who has a calf tear as a consequence of the knock suffered in the warm-up against Oldham on Tuesday) is a couple of weeks. He’s made a big difference since coming in,” Hurst explained.
“We picked up a few niggles today; hopefully nothing too serious.
“Junior Brown wanted to carry on which is a positive sign but he wasn’t moving correctly and we only had one substitute left. It made sense to put Kgosi Ntlhe on and make sure whatever Junior has done, we aren’t making it any worse.”
Hurst believed three games in quick succession has taken it’s toll on his team but insisted it is no excuse.
“There was a lot of tired legs and tired minds on both sides, but we have to find a different way to play and players need to step up to the mark," he concluded.
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