Steven Schumacher admitted Wanderers deserved no more after seeing their recent resurgence stall against Stoke, writes Pete Oliver.
Schumacher’s former club defied the early dismissal of defender Maxi Talorvierov to secure a 2-1 success which made it five wins in six games.
The Whites missed out on their own hat-trick of wins as they wasted a number of first-half chances and were then caught out by goals either side of the break from Lamine Cisse and Ben Wilmot.
“It's a tough one to take because we've lost the game and deserved to lose the game because we made errors and didn't score in the big chances that we had,” said Schumacher.
“Really frustrated with it. I think it's a game that, especially when they go down to 10 men, that’s right there for us. We did play some good stuff and we had some good moments, but we've been done today, I think, by a lack of experience and a lack of quality.
“To concede a goal against 10 men, right on the stroke of half-time, gives them something to cling on to and then play on the counter-attack, which is what they did. I think Stoke showed good organisation, did what we expected them to do, and defended their box really well.
“They've got players who have played in the Championship for years and years and years, so they know what they're doing. And counter-attacked us in the second half and we gave a stupid foul away that we just can't do and conceded another soft one from a set play. So, as I said, that's just how they're a bit naive today.
“We were a bit naïve today and got done by a team who had a little bit more know-how than some of our players did. There were a lot of good things about it, especially in that first opening 20 minutes. Kyliane's big opportunity was a really good move and we created another big chance that Sam Dalby should score from and heads it into the ground and goes over.
“We had a few other good, half-decent moments in the second half but it's difficult when a team have got something to hold on to and when you've given them two goals that are avoidable, it becomes even more difficult.”
Wanderers did pull a goal back in injury time through substitute Thelonius Bair, who finished well to claim his first goal for the Whites.
But Schumacher’s men didn’t do enough to reduce the two-goal deficit and the boss felt his side should have done more to build on their back-to-back wins before the international break before back-to-back away games at Wolves and Southampton.
“This league is punishing and today I feel as though we've shown that inexperience,” Schumacher told Wanderers TV. “But what has also done my head in a little bit is we didn't show enough energy. I'm having to say to some of the players, ‘come on, we haven't played for three weeks.’ They should be fresh and ready to go.
“A break sometimes can have a negative effect, but I just felt we needed more energy to run back with a little bit more intensity as well at times. When they counter-attacked, they looked as though they had more in the legs than us and that shouldn't have been the case.
“I just felt some of our quality wasn't there. Some of the crosses that we put in were wasteful and some of the decision-making as well wasn't great, which I can accept sometimes but it was the energy and our naivety today that I'm most frustrated about.
“We threw all the strikers on in the end and I'm glad that he (Bair) has got going. Hopefully that can give Theo a little bit of confidence, because we’re going to need everyone, but one or two others have got to do a little bit better.”
Watch the full post-match interview on Wanderers TV