Ipswich Town manager Paul Cook knows side must quickly cut out silly mistakes following 2-2 draw with MK Dons
Paul Cook was left frustrated by his Ipswich Town side's ability to shoot themselves in the foot from a winning position following a 2-2 home draw with MK Dons. But once again he called for the supporters to show patience as he looks to bed in a new team ahead of achieving the burning target of promotion from Sky Bet League One this season.
Macualey Bonne (16', 72') twice fired Town ahead in this afternoon's encounter at Portman Road only for a free-kick on the edge of their area to be punished by Scott Twine (59') before captain Lee Evans clumsily surrendered possession in a dangerous area for Matt O'Riley (75') to equalise again.
It leaves Cook's new-look side down the wrong end of the early table with just two points from their opening four matches.
But the manager believes things will soon come good as his 16 summer signings find their feet together.
"It was never going to be a nil-nil, I think when you've got two teams intent on taking the game to each other and scoring goals you get the spectacle that everyone watched today which in my opinion was a fantastic game of football," he told the media pitchside.
"Obviously from our point-of-view, having taken the lead twice, you will always be disappointed, especially with the manner of the goals we have been giving away.
"You don't need me to go into it to say we're giving soft goals away, we are and it's really, really hurting us. It is affecting us getting results and it is something we have got to rectify quickly."
Put to him that the goals his side have scored have been very well made ones he replied: "Again, you know me lads, I've been here for five or six months or whatever it is and I don't get into the clamour of the football world where everything has got to happen overnight, I just don't. And I said to one of our supporters coming off the pitch who was giving us a little bit of stick, 'give these lads times, they are making mistakes, there is no getting away from that. We are making mistakes at crucial times but they're a brand spanking new team with a lad making his debut again today.
"Whilst we are not appealing for a ridiculous amount of time we know we have to improve, we know we have to win football games, we know we have to stop giving stupid goals away that will allow us to win the games."
When it was put to him there were encouraging signs from his team once again, despite not getting the victory they craved, he said: "Listen, I think we created enough chances to win a game, didn't we? I think whether you like it or not MK Dons will be pleasing on the eye at times, 100 per cent. They contest you, they move the ball really well, they're a very well drilled team.
"But we had big chances in the game and when you get those big chances you have to take them and put the game to bed and we never did that today."
Asked to reflect on winger Kyle Edwards' eye-catching home debut, he said: "He was fantastic and is very talented but I also thought Macauley Bonne was excellent today.
"In other areas of the pitch we know we've got to tighten up and while I'm not a manager who speaks about positives and stuff like that, I'm so disappointed we haven't won the game. We're four games in now and we want to win, we all want to be promoted but you can't do that in August and September guys.
"The biggest thing now is getting these lads together as a group, getting our fitness levels up, which is massively important and getting the lads out on the pitch now together and getting consistency in team selections, and in my opinion we will see consistency in results."
On having a clear week, without a mid-week match following their Carabao Cup exit to Newport County, ahead of hosting AFC Wimbledon next Saturday (3pm), he said: "It is important as you know yourself in most jobs if you make mistakes you look, you learn and you improve and I've thorough my football career that is always the way I have worked and will work. I am not a manager who throws players under the bus or who lambasts his team to the press.
"I believe in dressing rooms where you can have honest conversations and on training grounds where you work hard to improve, and we've got a lot of work to do."
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