We must prove we are good enough at this level

8:41am Thursday 28th August 2008

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COPING with a 6-1 defeat in not easy. Thoughts constantly return to the nightmare of the Memorial Stadium.

However, I've been in the game long enough to know that not only do you have to cope with the situation, you have to, in a way, benefit from it.

There was no disguising our inadequacies when we had to defend; we took up some awful positions and then, to compound the problem, we made some terrible decisions or, worse still, did not react at all to the danger.

After all the emotion of the defeat comes the critical analysis, studying a rerun on DVD replaying situations, slowing down the action or stopping the film completely to assess positions.

I have been involved in a few heavy defeats and generally I accept that we have been battered. The previous one at Chesterfield, live on SKY last season was an example. The 4-0 defeat flattered us as we were atrocious in almost everything we tried to do.

But last Saturday was not that bad.

To concede two goals so early in the game set them up nicely, however we never stopped trying to pass the ball and create opportunities.

The analysis of the Bristol goals and the previous ones we have conceded make strange reading. Four out of the six were scored from more than 20 yards out - three of them from 25 yards plus, something that is rare in any match, as were the percentages of goals to shots on target.

Eight on target, one hit the post, six of the other seven finished in the back of our net. Again a very unusual statistic.

Of all the goals we have conceded so far this season, eight out of the 12 have been from long range. Again a very unusual occurrence.

We actually played some decent football at Bristol carving out some good openings. On that basis, slaughtering the players, publicly or privately, is not the order of the day.

Confidence in sport at any level is fragile enough at the best of times, now is the time to support the players and that is exactly what I shall do.

The challenge for us all is to prove that we are good enough to operate at this level.

The players have to learn quickly that the pace of thought and movement is a lot faster in League 1 and they must be capable of adapting to it.

We worked tremendously hard to gain promotion, now we have to adjust to the extra demands of this League.

Above all, despite the set backs, I would much rather be where we are now than competing in the division lower.

We knew it would not be easy but now comes the big test of character to work our way out of this current position.