Manager Mark Warburton gave his verdict on the 1-0 defeat at Birmingham City, which leaves his side in seventh place.
“I thought we were a little bit flat,” said Mark.
“They sat back; when we go away from home, they sat deep to catch us on the counter.
“The pitch was dry and bobbly plus the wind – it wasn’t the easiest of conditions, but there are no excuses, we had a lot of the ball but never tested the goalkeeper enough.”
Mark decided to keep Stuart Dallas for the trip to St Andrews at left back despite Jake Bidwell’s availability after suspension, and explained his decision.
“Stuart did well,” said Mark.
“We were looking at various options, and I’ve also got to be aware of the games programme and the demands on the players.
“He didn’t deserve to lose his place, Jake Bidwell is obviously frustrated because he’s been outstanding and will be for us.
“We’ve got a strong squad; everyone keeps saying they are lovely problems to have but not always.
“There are some very talented players that didn’t make the 18, Tony Craig for example, but that’s where we are with the squad at this stage of the season; we have to pick squads for each relevant game and the decision was made today, rightly or wrongly.”
The last chapter of the season is about to be written with Mark warning that other sides will lose points too.
“We spoke in the last few days about teams around us dropping points,” said Mark.
“We’ve seen that today: Derby lost, Middlesbrough lost, Bournemouth have drawn – it’s going to be this way right the way in.
“This time next week, we’re down to the last ten games, so it’s coming to the home stretch; we’ve got to appreciate that there will be a lot of points dropped and gained.
“If we can keep ourselves in the mix, learn from this; Tuesday night is our focus now and to be ready for a good performance.”
Watch the full interview with Mark on Bees Player now.