MANAGER Jake Buxton was left disappointed by the two key moments that saw Burton Albion suffer a 2-0 defeat at Plymouth Argyle this afternoon.
Though the Brewers looked more structured and solid from set plays, Buxton's side were undone by a Luke Jephcott strike and a close-range finish from Byron Moore either side of the break.
That second goal came within two minutes of the restart, killing any momentum the Brewers carried into the second half, which Buxton was particularly disappointed with given the first-half performance.
"There’s not a great deal to complain about in the first half, in terms of how we played," said Buxton.
"We matched them with and without the ball, but yet again we conceded straight after half-time, which is disappointing and a recurring problem. We kept trying to create chances, which we did.
"We weren’t put under huge amounts of pressure. We did a lot of work on set plays, where we looked quite structured and strong.
"But ultimately there was an individual error (for the first goal) and (then) a goal conceded right after half-time. To come back from two is then a tough ask.
"I’ve said to the lads in the changing room that they can’t feel sorry for themselves. There's great character in the group and we understand where we're at."
Buxton was pleased with the performance of debutant Sam Hughes, who joined Albion on loan from Leicester City on Friday and made a series of important blocks and headers, particularly in the final 10 minutes.
"Sam came in and did well," said Buxton.
"He looked comfortable and dealt with all the aerial duels, won all his headers and he was put in the team to do that.
"That's probably why we looked, structurally, strong on set plays. But it doesn’t take away that we’ve conceded two cheap goals again."
Image Credit: Dave Rowntree