Interim Manager Liam Rosenior was frustrated that Derby County were unable to
capitalise on a good first half showing as his side fell to their first defeat of the
2022/23 Sky Bet League One campaign against Charlton Athletic.
The Rams were totally dominant in the first half and had golden opportunities to take the lead, twice through striker James Collins who was denied by Addicks goalkeeper Joe Wollacott and by the post at the end of the first half.
Rosenior’s side were made to pay for those missed chances on the hour mark as Charlton forward Corey Blackett-Taylor bundled the ball home from close range to ensure the points stayed in the capital with a 1-0 victory.
Speaking to RamsTV after the game, Rosenior was disappointed with the result but reflected on Derby’s first half performance and feels the ruthlessness will come as the season progresses.
On The Game…
It would have been tough to take had we drawn the game today, but to lose to a counter attack when we had so much control, so much dominance and created so many chances, is a bitter pill to swallow. There are positive signs. The players got a good gauge of what this league is about. If you don’t take your chances and don’t keep the back door shut with all of your dominance then you can get punished - and we did that today. Hopefully that is a lesson which I have learnt, the players have learnt and we now move forward, making sure the performance levels stay the same but we get the right result at the end of it.
I’m always a believer in the process and when you get that right over 46 games, you will normally end up where you deserve to be. It is one of those days today. As frustrating as it is, I need the players to believe in what we do. I need the fans to see and believe in what we do and see the amount of chances we created. Thank you to them for coming here to support us because they came a long way on a hot day and they were magnificent but I think you can see our identity as a team, you can see the way I want to play but we just need to get the ball in the back of the net.
On The First Half Performance…
It’s really difficult to talk about because that’s the football I want to play and what I believe in. I think we had complete control of possession, we created numerous chances and played some outstanding football at this level. Charlton didn’t know what to do but we have to score at the end of it. That’s not putting pressure on our strikers but with the amount of corners we had, I’m expecting one of our centre halves to get their head on it but it’s something to work on and something we can improve on. What’s really pleasing for me in terms of the process of the last four weeks, you can really see improvements all the time. That was a much better performance than we put in against Oxford last Saturday and we beat them 1-0. If we maintain that performance level, I think we could be in for an exciting season.
On The Identity Of The Team…
It’s hard for me to say how happy I am after we lose a game. I want to win matches of football so in terms of the result, no I’m not happy. In terms of the standing and application of the players, I thought they gave it their all. There were times where we had so much control that I was worried. When you have so much control and dominance in a game, you end up switching off and we did that. That is something over time you can overcome but for where we are, the performance level was great, but the result was not what we wanted to be.
Everything is a learning curve. We won against Oxford and that was a learning curve. We play Mansfield Town away in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday and then Barnsley at Pride Park on Saturday in the league. If we get six points from the first three league games, that is the average you need for promotion. It’s not the end of the world but I am frustrated and angry that we lost the game.
On Mansfield On Tuesday Night…
There are a few knocks. Max Bird has got ice on his ankle and we need to make sure that the players who didn’t play today are fit and ready to go. I want competition for places so it’s an opportunity for the lads who come in to stake their claim for the shirt. Louie Sibley came on this afternoon and made a fantastic impact and he was really close to starting. That’s what I want in this squad. We still have a lot to do in terms of bringing a couple of bodies in but where we are at in terms of the squad, togetherness and style of play which we are implementing; I am actually quite happy.
On Lewis Dobbin's Debut…
He is going to play a huge part this season. He was away in America with Everton this summer for their pre-season and hasn’t had a full game yet. We need to gauge his fitness and build that up over the next few weeks. He showed his speed and quality at times. He had a great chances which he tried to take early and he’s going to be a huge asset to us moving forward.
