Sheffield United press conference updates from Slavisa Jokanovic and Ben Osborn ahead of Nottingham Forest clash

Going in at half-time I thought we defended pretty well and it was the front players letting the defenders down. The goal was really sloppy. We’re all desperate to get the win, we’ve been pushing for it and got hit with a sucker punch. It’s game management and we need to consistently start picking up points now because we don’t want the gap to get too big.

We’ve already got a bit to catch up, our start wasn’t great to the season and results are now inconsistent. We don’t want to let the gap get too big but I am confident we’ll put a run together soon.

It’s been hugely frustrating. We can say we’ve been unlucky and deserved to win games but it’s happened a few times now and we’ll look to address it. There’s definitely stuff we can improve on. It’s about sticking the ball in the net as well, we’re struggling to get a goal when we are on top in the last couple of home games. We’re confident we can improve it.

Here’s what the midfielder had to say ahead of his return to the City Ground...

Slavisa Jokanovic says Sheffield United can not blame their experiences in the Premier League last season for the lack of confidence and match-craft which is undermining his team’s bid to make an immediate return.

Appointed in the wake of a catastrophic campaign, which saw United surrender top-flight status with six matches to spare, the presence of a manager who has twice won promotion from the Championship has so far failed to help them exorcise those ghosts - with last weekend’s defeat by Blackpool leaving the club 17th in the table ahead of tomorrow’s visit to Nottingham Forest.

Although losing a game they had controlled for long periods was a source of “huge disappointment” for Jokanovic, the Serb was even more concerned by the sight of United’s players once again losing their form and self-belief after Keshi Anderson’s 76th minute goal proved enough to settle the contest.

“We will concede,” Jokanovic told The Star, acknowledging it has become an unfortunate trait. “But it is our reaction. I am not thinking about last season. I am a new manager at this club. If I am thinking about last season and my players are thinking about last season, if they are thinking about how they lost last season, then it is a very confused situation.”

and welcome to our live blog of the Blades’ press conference ahead of the trip to Nottingham Forest tomorrow - Ben Osborn joins Slavisa Jokanovic on media duties as he prepares to return to the City Ground for the first time since leaving for Bramall Lane a few seasons ago. We’ll have all the key themes to emerge from the press conference right here in one place, so stay tuned throughout the day...