Town boss Graeme Jones was left frustrated as his side conceded a late goal in a 2-1 defeat at Cardiff City.
After getting back on level terms through Matty Pearson’s header with 86 minutes gone – having fallen behind to Aden Flint’s back-stick finish at the beginning of the second half – former Town striker Isaac Vassell nodded in from close-range right at the death to ensure his side took all three points.
Jones said: “I think that’s the definition of the Championship and how ruthless it can be. That’s the level, that’s the league and we’ve had an experience of it today and we need to learn from it.
I am not thinking about who scored for them, I am thinking about stopping the cross, about punching the ball, about Luke Berry trying to have some composure in a real frantic moment for both teams. Isaac Vassell scoring, it’s a result of not stopping the cross and giving the ball away. It’s a big lesson.
“We’re slicing at things, putting it out for throw-ins, they’re fatigued, we’re fatigued, that’s the way they play, it’s not how we play, We need to think. We need to show composure in key moments, that’s when you really gain confidence. So I can easily come in here and talk about positives, because they were a Premier League club two months ago and for 94 minutes we competed, no question about it.
“But if you’re going to earn something in football, you have to earn it for the full period and we didn’t. We competed and we played really well for 94 minutes, but the game is 95 and we got what we deserved.”