Daily Post

Neil Roberts - We just didn't perform

Mark Currie
By Mark Currie, Daily Post

10/12/07

Neil RobertsRACECOURSE favourite Neil Roberts confessed Wrexham had been given a salutary lesson following Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at the hands of Dagenham & Redbridge.

After banking four points from visits to Rochdale and Bury in the previous seven days, the Dragons were brought down to earth with a bump at Victoria Road and Roberts said there could be no excuses.

An own goal from Steve Evans gave the home side a lead their superiority deserved but, although Wrexham improved after the break, they were sunk by two further goals in the final four minutes.

“I felt in the first half that none of us, bar Anthony Williams, were at the races and we gave away a poor goal,” said Roberts.

“Both myself and Chris (Llewellyn) were probably at fault for that because we were trying to get forward and they caught us on the counter-attack.

“We committed too many bodies forward, they hit us on the break and when Steve (Evans) tried to clear it, he was unlucky and sliced the ball into the top corner.”

It was Roberts who went closest to an equaliser when Wrexham staged a second-half rally, but he admitted they were second best overall.

“In the second half we were the better team without really testing their keeper,” he added.

“I had one chance, but he came and smothered it and then another shot was blocked.

“We got in some good positions but the final ball maybe wasn’t the best and we didn’t have that end product. Near the end we were pushing forward and they’ve hit us on the break with two late goals.

“It’s disappointing because of the week we’ve had. We thought we’d kind of made inroads into the business of keeping clean sheets and this is a bad result.

“It didn’t reflect the game as a whole but it’s difficult to take.”

Wrexham manager Brian Little questioned the validity of Dagenham’s two late goals and made his point forcibly to referee Pat Miller as the officials left the field after the final whistle.

“I’m not sure whether Chris Llewellyn was fouled (for Dagenham’s second), but it looked like one, and I’m 100% convinced the ball went out of play (before the third goal),” said the Racecourse boss.

But Little said the scoreline was academic and declared himself reasonably satisfied after a difficult week.

“Both those goals might not have been given, but that is not the reason we lost today – we lost because our first-half performance was poor,” he added.

“Psychologically it was a hard game for us today, the third one away on the run.

“We then gave away an own goal and Dagenham were really up for it and should be given credit for the way they played.

“They deserved to win the game, but 3-0 flattered them a little bit.

“It’s been a hard week and before this I’d have taken four points from the three games.

“We could conceivably have come here today with no points from the other two games, so I’m pleased we got the points earlier in the week.”