After a difficult week, we get to put things right when we welcome Shrewsbury Town to the Kassam Stadium this afternoon.

We have had slightly the better of them over the last few years but I have so much respect for their manager Steve Cotterill, who has been in the game a very long time and I know was doing his homework by watching us on Wednesday evening.

I hope he will have gone away thinking that we have plenty of spirit in this team even after three defeats in a row.

Sometimes you need a little bit of luck: Burton’s first goal last weekend came back off the post, hit Simon Eastwood on the back of the head and flew into the net.

A freak goal and you can’t do anything about that.

But then on Wednesday, we definitely could have done more to prevent the opening goal: a bad back pass, give a needless set piece away and we are suddenly a goal down in a tight game.

You will have heard me say ‘be ruthless’ a few times this season.

Most people assume I mean in front of goal but in fact it means all over the pitch.

We plan carefully, we have meticulous game plans every single week.

But you can simplify the game so much if you stay ruthless, don’t concede possession or allow teams a chance to get set pieces into your box.

Mistakes happen, we all know that, but right now we need to make sure we concentrate fully for 90 minutes.

If we do that then it will make life so much easier.

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I didn’t enjoy hearing some of the things that were being directed at me after the final whistle on Wednesday but I will always come over and applaud the people who have paid good money to support their team.

You are entitled to your view and it is part of being a football manager; you take the applause when the team wins, you face things square on when you lose.

A Wednesday game doesn’t allow much recovery time but we will be ready by three o’clock today.

We have had a little more time to work with new arrivals Ateef Konate and Tyler Smith, and hopefully we go out there, play with passion and desire, and get the win that everyone who cares so much about this club wants to be part of.

Come along, get behind the players, and let’s show what we are truly about.

I think many people were surprised to see Matty Taylor go out to Port Vale on deadline day, and I wanted to take the opportunity to wish him well.

I get on really well with Matty, a great character and a fantastic goalscorer for a club he loves.

We have seen the reception he used to get when he went back to Bristol Rovers, but his departure from Oxford could not have been a bigger contrast.

That love is shared by the fans and it was a hard decision for all of us to let him go out.

However, it was done for football reasons alone; there is little room for sentiment in football.

I have no doubt that he will be back at the club in the future and I know one thing: he will be absolutely determined to get a debut goal for Vale this afternoon.