JIMMY Floyd Hasselbaink was left frustrated that the Brewers couldn’t keep up the intensity needed to get a first victory of the season and instead suffered another defeat.
Two second half goals gave Port Vale all three points and despite a bright opening for the Brewers, they fell flat in the second period as the visitors raised their game.
The Brewers manager said: “We couldn’t maintain the intensity. They made five changes from Tuesday, and we couldn’t do that as we don’t have that depth to make five changes.
“We started ever so well in the first 30 minutes, but we needed to score, and we didn’t score. The last 15 minutes of the half they come more into the game and then in the second half we didn’t start the game really, not at all. That’s the disappointment about it and the same mistakes are made. We are on the back foot, and they score to make it 1-0 and we could see heads dropping a bit. That’s the predicament we are in at the moment.”
Hasselbaink said that making sweeping changes to bring in the players making up the bench would not have been the solution.
He said: “It’s too early to put four or five in at the same time. You want to put them in a settled team. You want to put them in a team that’s doing well maybe two at a time.
“We made one change from Tuesday, putting Victor back in as we thought we should play with two strikers, and we expected more but we could not keep up that intensity and that’s’ how we need to play.
“After we went 1-0 behind, they saw the game out very professionally and that’s the experience we don’t have and which they used really well.”
Hasselbaink also admitted that confidence is fragile.
He said: “It’s very difficult and you can see it. Their lad scuffs the ball, and it goes in, and John Brayford has a great header, and it goes the other side of the post. That’s where we are and it’s a pity.”
The manager admits that the results are hurting.
“I don’t like to see the club suffering, and everyone knows how much I think about this club. But do I think we can get out of this?. Yes. One hundred per cent.”