Bruce On Frustrating Brighton Loss

Manager Steve Bruce has spoken of his frustration after we went down one nil to Brighton this weekend.

Video – Brighton Highlights
Audio – Bruce Talks Brighton Loss

Speaking to the Official Site after a fifth minute goal for them proved to be enough to separate the sides at full time despite us having more possession and the same number of chances on target as they did, a disappointed Bruce explained.

‘The first half definitely wasn`t good enough. The second half was a bit more like it as we had a lot of possession but without that cutting edge which was frustrating because when I look at the talent we`ve got at the top end of the pitch with Aluko, Hernandez, Akpom and Diame, you`re hoping you can create a chance. We managed two or three attempts on target, but we didn`t really create the big chance that we needed to create.’

Bruce went on to repeat that it was a ‘poor’ and ‘bad start’ from us, and we’d given ourselves a mini mountain to climb, but despite the improvement shown in the second period we didn’t improve enough to make a telling difference in the game.

With it being the third time we’ve started slowly away from home, he knows it’s something we have to address.

‘We have to be better and realise what this division is because at the moment we haven`t got it right away. We have to find a system and a formula that suits us away from home and we found it difficult from the first whistle against a very decent Brighton team. We have got the players to find that right system.’

With only one point taken from three away trips so far this season, the gaffer admitted that an early concern is our performances on the road and that’s also something he wants to rectify sooner rather than later.

‘Of course it concerns me and if we`re going to get promoted we have to play better than that and we will. At home we`ve been particularly pleasing and done enough to win games and it`s important that we keep that going, but if we`re going to mount a challenge we`ve got to go to places like Brighton and get something and we didn`t do enough to do that.’