www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/jack-ross-reacts-sunderlands-defeat-16227545Jack Ross reacts to Sunderland's defeat at Southend, and looks ahead to the play-offsSunderland manager Jack Ross (Image: Sunderland AFC via Getty Images)
Jack Ross admits Sunderland were beaten by a âhungrierâ Southend team on the final day - but insists he is not worried about a lack of momentum as the Black Cats head into the play-offs.
For the second game running Ross was angry with the way his side performed with this reverse coming on the back of the midweek loss at Fleetwood Town, as Sunderland suffered their first back-to-back defeats of the season.
Sunderland have now lost three of their final six games, and won only one of their last seven, which meant they finished fifth in the table and must now face Portsmouth in the play-off semi-finals.
But Ross believes Sunderlandâs late-season results should not be a cause for panic because the play-off games should be seen in isolation.
âWe wanted to go into these play-off semi-final games on the back of a positive feeling but we have not done that because our performance today was a long way short,â said Ross.
âYou are always judged on the end result, and in the last few games we have either drawn them or lost them but the performance has been OK so that has been a bit more positive, but when the two go hand-in-hand [poor performance and poor result] I can be a lot more critical.
âWe didnât play well today, not by a long stretch.
âI havenât looked at the permutations and who we might play and when, I think that the prize that is at stake outweighs who has been better over the course of the season - itâs just a case of who is better over the two legs and how they unfold.
âYou have to find a way to win three games.â
And asked about the lack of a response following the Fleetwood defeat, he said: âI would look on it that if you are going to have back-to-back defeats for the first time this season, maybe this is the best time to get them because it is a clean slate now going into these play-off games.
âPeople will point to lack of momentum but the truth is these [play-off] games should be seen in isolation.
âI think the defeat at Portsmouth [in the league] is the only game we have lost against the top seven.
âThere were some draws in there, obviously, and there was the Checkatrade final where we lost on penalties.
âI think the players have generally responded well to playing in the bigger games, and the bigger atmospheres.
âWe have an opportunity to reset and refocus now. You canât just sweep everything under the carpet but we just have to focus on the game next Saturday and the following midweek.â
Sunderland were already guaranteed a play-off place and the outcome of their game at Southend would only have a bearing on their potential semi-final opponents, and whether they are at home or away in the first leg.
By contrast, Southend were in a relegation battle and so put heart and soul into the game - and were rewarded with a win which assured survival.
Ross said: âWe were really poor today - first half in particular - however we havenât performed poorly [recently] with the exception of the latter part of the Fleetwood game.
âIt was a reality check for some of us, individually and as a team, and a reminder of the levels we need to be at.
âWe havenât dipped below them all that often this season but today we were well below them and we were beaten by a hungrier team.
âObviously, Southend had a lot to play for today but it still should not have been the case that they were hungrier than us.
âI wonât use that as an excuse.
âWe didnât have a lot to play for in terms of who we play in the play-offs or whether we are home or away in the first leg, I donât think that matters a lot, but it was more about our motivation to win the game and that should always be huge for us.
âSo that disappointed me in the first half. In the second half we huffed and puffed a bit and we were a bit better, but in the first half we were way short of where we need to be at.â
John White put Southend ahead just before half-time but Chris Maguire levelled from the penalty spot 15 minutes from time after White had fouled Charlie Wyke, but a couple of minutes from the end substitute Stephen Humphrys hit the winner.
Ross said: âWe were pushing to win because we always want to win games, but it leaves us short at the other end.
âTeams arenât having to do an awful lot to score against us at the moment and that is something we need to rectify for these forthcoming games.â
Southend United 2-1 Sunderland