Ipswich Town manager Paul Lambert says there shouldn’t be a ‘doom and gloom’ reaction after his side’s unbeaten start to the campaign ended with a disappointing 2-0 defeat at lowly Accrington Stanley this lunchtime.
The Blues produced a below-par display and were full value for defeat in front of the Sky television cameras. Colby Bishop netted twice in the first half and, though Luke Woolfenden looked to have a decent claim for a shot crossing the line, Town didn't do enough to get back into the match after a half-time reshuffle.
A bad day at the office was capped off when league debutant Armando Dobra was shown a straight red card for lashing out at Ross Sykes.
"I don't think we started well at all and that was the catalyst to losing the goal," said Lambert, whose side remain top of the League One table with a game in hand on second place Wycombe.
"We were too slow moving the ball, we didn't have our usual intensity, we lose a goal and then we lose a penalty. We changed it and second half we were better without being great.
"It's disappointing, but listen, we've been unbelievable. We've been absolutely fantastic and I've got nothing but praise for the team. I'm proud of the way they've gone about things.
"We're top of the league, so there's a lot worse things to be disappointed about. It's not doom and gloom that's for sure. I'm not going to say everybody is downbeat just because we've lost one game.
"I knew we would lose at some stage. There has to be a realism. There's no team alive that doesn't have set-backs.
"Nobody expected Man City to lose to Norwich or Wolves. That's football. It's how you bounce back. The good teams always bounce back.
"You take your medicine, you dust yourselves down and you go again. We don't have a divine right to win every single game.
"We take this hit and we go again. The challenge to go again is there because we're a big club."
Town host Rotherham on Wednesday night before making the short trip to Southend on Saturday.
James Wilson will be available after serving a one-game ban, while Flynn Downes (hip), Kane Vincent-Young and James Norwood (both groin) could be fit again.
In the aforementioned quartet's absence, Toto Nsiala, Andre Dozzell, Gwion Edwards and Alan Judge started today. Nsiala, whose clumsy foul gave away the penalty for Accrington's second goal, and Dozzell were subbed at the break. Judge struggled to make an impact up front, while Edwards ended up at right-back. Emyr Huws and Will Keane were both unused substitutes.
"Toto has been great, he's trained really hard and due to James' suspension we put him back in. There's no blame attached to Toto at all," said Lambert.
"I'm not sure Emyr (Huws) can play back-to-back games at the minute with the injuries he's had. That's why I went with Andre. Plus Andre's been training really well. I have no problem with Andre playing at all.
"It was the same with Will Keane - can I we get two games out of him back to back? That's a big ask to the two lads. I don't want to re-injure them.
"We have a massive game again on Wednesday. We don't know yet if James (Norwood) will be fit. Will (Keane) will come into the reckoning.
"The lads that came in, Andre, Toto and Gwion, I trust them 100%. I don't have any problems with them playing at all. They've done great for me in the past and they will do great for me again in the future.
"That wasn't the reason why we lost the game."
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