745ADAM Barrett admitted that Millwall deserved to be beaten by Wigan Athletic as their play-off hits took a significant hit.
The Lions were pegged back in the 14th minute through Will Keane but found their equaliser just 16 minutes later when Tom Bradshaw set up George Saville for a close-range tap-in.
However, the Latics dominated the second half and got the winning goal that they earned, with substitute Thelo Aasgard scoring in the 84th minute to seal the points.
“It was very disappointing,” the assistant manager said.
“We didn’t really get going in the game and, to be honest, we got what we deserved today. We didn’t deserve anything out of it.
“Big games, pressure games like today, you know what’s at stake, and unfortunately we didn’t turn up, so I’m extremely disappointed. I thought they were better than us in every aspect and we got what we deserved.
“The lads have been magnificent all season and have gotten themselves into a magnificent position. We’ve all worked really hard, and when you come into these moments it’s pressure. You see it up and down the division, teams at the bottom start scrapping results out.
“If I could put my finger on it, there are multiple things. I don’t think we passed the ball well enough, we turned it over too cheaply, I thought we were second best in a lot of challenges, I don’t think we did the basics of the game well enough today. Unfortunately, when you do that, they get their tails up.
“We got back into it at 1-1. At half-time, we said our bit but we really struggled to even do the basics of the game today. If you don’t do that, you’ll get beaten. Unfortunately that’s what happened today.
“We just couldn’t get ahold of it. Every time we got ahold of possession, we turned it over again, so the game was very difficult for us to get any control in.
“We did it once or twice in the game and we caused them problems, but it’s nowhere near enough. You’re coming away from home, they’re fighting for their lives. We had to show more control, better composure and more aggression in the right areas.”
Photo: Millwall FC