“We need to..”- Town goalkeeper Alex Palmer almost broke down in tears as he delivers mouthwatering relegation verdict following the 1-0 defeat to Brentford at Portman Road.
Town goalkeeper Alex Palmer feels sustaining a performance over 90 minutes is the Blues’ target following the 1-0 defeat to Brentford at Portman Road.
Kieran McKenna’s side showed glimpses of attacking endeavour, particularly in the final 15 minutes of the contest when George Hirst, Omari Hutchinson and Cameron Burgess went close.
Ultimately, Town fell to Kevin Schade’s first-half header which represented the Blues record eighth straight home defeat.
“I thought it was a really competitive game of football from both teams,” Palmer said.
“We came out on the wrong side of the result which we’re really disappointed about, but I thought we gave ourselves a really good showing and definitely gave ourselves a chance to win the game towards the end.
“Their goalie made a few good saves. It’s just about trying to sustain pressure a little bit more, keeping them on the back foot and creating more chances.
“In the first half there wasn’t too many chances for us. When they are looking to defend the lead a bit more, that’s when we’re able to get those chances towards the end of the game. It’s just how we can sustain that pressure over 90 minutes.
“We want to try and sustain pressure for longer periods in the game, whether that’s the first half or second half and not for it to just come at the end of the game when we get on top and they’re sitting deep and defend.
“It’s tough, they’re a good team and that’s why they’re up there, it’s just what we’ve got to do.”
While tussling at set pieces was the main talking point from the game, there was an admission from Palmer that dead ball situations were spoken about as one of the Bees’ biggest threats.
The Town goalkeeper was impressed with their display in open play. Jacob Greaves in particular, who was once again playing out of position at left-back, was singled out for praise.
“It’s part and parcel of the game nowadays, even more so with VAR,” the 28-year-old said. “You can’t get away with anything nowadays, it’s playing it a little bit but it’s the same for both sides.
“We knew their strengths and we worked on it during the week but unfortunately they got the better of them.
“The lads had a really good defensive display in front of them, Greavesy had a really good game. That’s the level that we’ve got, there’s lads coming here out of position and for them to perform as well as they did is a credit to themselves.”
The goal incident came after VAR checked for a potential Brentford penalty after Greaves was involved in a physical battle with Sepp van den Berg.
The officials deemed the tussle to have taken place before the corner was live, leading to the flag-kick being retaken only for the similar event to take place.
The third attempt at the delivery from Bryan Mbeumo was then glanced on by Schade for the crucial moment.
Palmer said: “Nothing has been said about it, that’s for the officials and coaching staff to go through. As players, we’ve still got to do our job on the pitch and defend it better. That’s what we’ll look at next week.
“We can’t get frustrated with them. The referees and officials have got to do their own job, we’re just there trying to stay focused and try and defend.
“There’s long periods of times where there’s sustained pressure and lots of corners and long throw-ins. If we get too frustrated, that’s where we can switch off and get too involved in the frustration.
“I don’t think [VAR] is going anywhere. It’s part and parcel of the game now, everyone has got to get used to it. It’s hard sometimes with how long the checks are, but that’s where we’ve got to be professional, stay in the game and stay focused.”
