PETER JACKSON today reflected on the missed chances which cost Town dearly at Chesterfield.
Before the second-half dismissals of Tom Clarke and Efe Sodje and the successful penalties of Shane Nicholson, Town misfired when in position to seize control.
"We had plenty of chances," mused the manager.
"Just like Bradford, though, we didn't take the chances when we created them and we got punished for that.
"I can't complain about the effort the lads gave me because even when we were down to 10 men and then nine at the end, they were still giving me everything.
"We are not having any luck in front of goal at the moment, though, and while I said we could have an outside chance of the play-offs with a win here and one next week, we are now involved in a big relegation battle. That's the difference three points at this stage can make."
Sodje's fifth red card in two seasons with Town seems certain to earn him a three-match ban - he's already marched against Barnsley and Blackpool (LDV) this season, when he was stripped of the captaincy - while Clarke could escape with one.
"Tom was very unlucky to be sent-off. It was a bad decision but the referee didn't use any common sense," said Jackson. "I could fully understand the second penalty, but that first one changed the whole course of the game."
