Errors cost us — Dickov

HARD graft wasn’t enough for Athletic boss Paul Dickov as his team fell to a fifth defeat in six games last night.

A pair of early Sheffield Wednesday goals from Mark Beevers and Chris Sedgwick set the similarly out-of-form visitors well on their way to three npower League One points at Boundary Park.

Though Dickov’s men brought the game level at half-time through a deflected Filipe Morais shot — a first goal in a little over 10 hours of football for Athletic — and a Dale Stephens rocket, more defensive woe early in the second period resulted in a second, winning, goal for Sedgwick.

The overall performance was far brighter than in many recent games. But for Dickov, the bottom line is that his team need to cut out individual errors in defence if the season isn’t to completely fizzle out.

“We lost the game in the first 20 minutes,” said the Athletic manager, whose side now lie in 12th spot, 12 points adrift of the play-offs.

“We didn’t lose it in the second half, we didn’t lose it through anything else.

“It goes back to retaining information about what we want them to do.

“After 20 minutes when we were 2-0 down, we kept a high line and played football in their half. We got the ball to our danger players and did things we work on all the time.

“We looked a very good team.

“In the second half, we lost a goal at the wrong time. We didn’t stop the cross and won the first header but not the second.

“One thing I will say is the boys were saying there were a lot of fouls going on in there.

“I am not making excuses. It was something we pointed out to the referee before the game and it seemed to happen off every corner.

“The second goal was sloppy — as both (first-half) goals were. They shouldn’t have happened.

“Not when we had the players in on the morning of the game and worked on their set plays and defending crosses.”

Captain Reuben Hazell made a return to the starting line-up, but Dean Furman was missing through illness. He will be assessed later this week to determine if he is fit to make the journey to Leyton Orient on Saturday.

Dickov will be keen that his side shore up defensively and impose their own game on the in-form Brisbane Road side.

“The lads had a go and I can’t question them for not doing that,” Dickov added.

“They just, yet again, need to stop making mistakes individually. Because it is costing us.

“You can’t give teams with the players they have got a two-goal start.

“That is why we lost the game. After that, we were the better team.”


CHADDERTON slipped to a 3-2 defeat at home to Norton United last night in the Vodkat League Division One, with James Curley and Andrew Pheby netting for the hosts.