Ian Evatt admitted Wanderers again let themselves down in a big game as his side suffered another derby defeat to Wigan Athletic, writes Pete Oliver.
A 2-0 victory at the Toughsheet Community Stadium extended Wigan’s winning run in the fixture at Wanderers to three straight games in League One – without conceding a goal.
Evatt’s men had chances after half-time to break the sequence and potentially avoid a first home defeat in 10 games stretching back to September.
But a goal in each half from the visitors was ultimately enough to give them a third win in five league games as Wanderers failed to step up to the challenge.
“In the first half we just got rocked and didn't recover,” admitted Evatt. “The pressure and stress of this game is obviously too much for some.
“We didn't do anything well I don't think in the first half. We looked frightened and timid in possession and out of possession we didn't do the basics well enough.
“That isn't the players not trying or doing it purposely. We just looked like we were playing within ourselves and not playing with the freedom you need to be the team we want to be.
“At half time we were lucky it's only 1-0 and then we started better in the second half and had a massive chance with Szabi. If that goes in, I think the whole place lifts and just rallies and things are probably different.
“The second half was better than the first but that's not saying much, the first was that bad. They scored (a second) at a crucial time which killed the game really, although even then if Aaron Collins scores with 15 minutes to go with another big chance it could be different.
“But in this fixture and in some of the big games we've let ourselves down and that was the same theme again today.”
Wanderers had taken 26 points from their previous 12 games to move towards the top six but were unable to break their Wigan hoodoo as their form deserted them.
The Wanderers’ fans were understandably unhappy with Evatt aware of the impact of the result which has checked his side’s momentum going to League One leaders Wycombe next Friday night to kick-start the festive football.
“For whatever reason we don't do the same things we do in 42 out of 46 games we play a season,” added the manager of Wanderers’ record against Wigan and some of their other high-prolife tests. “We have four or five really awful performances in it and it tends to be against local rivals or the big games and that's bitterly disappointing. We all need to look and find out how we stop this because it can't continue to happen.
“I've been in this game all my life and I understand that when you have results like this against your local rivals, and it's been a theme, all of our good work over the last two or three months is going to be meaningless.
“We all have to swallow that and take that and understand that losing this game hurts everybody. It's really disappointing that after so many conversations, and this is happened to us so many times, it's just opened up old wounds and we have to find a way to stop it happening because it has become a theme and we have to understand why that is.”
Watch the manager’s full post-match interview on Wanderers TV HERE