PAUL Peschisolido has told his players they need to go back to finishing school if Burton Albion are to revive their challenge for a place in the League Two play-offs.
For the second time in four days, the Brewers boss saw a string of missed chances cost his side dear as a 3-2 defeat at Crewe Alexandra was followed by a 1-1 stalemate against fellow hopefuls Rotherham United at the Pirelli Stadium on Saturday.
Albion were unable to press home their advantage after Calvin Zola had put them in front with his 12th goal of the season five minutes before half-time.
Zola was among the players guilty of squandering chances as former striker Shaun Harrad came back to haunt Peschisolido.
The Brewers boss sold Harrad to Northampton Town 13 months ago at the height of his scoring powers.
And it was Harrad, currently on loan from Bury, who salvaged a point for the Millers with his third goal in as many games.
The striker’s simple finish in the 55th minute left Peschisolido to complain about another wasted opportunity for Albion to notch their first win of 2012.
Peschisolido said: “We should have killed the game off with all the good possession and chances we created.
“Even when we had to slightly change our tactics and go more direct to try to hit the front men, we created two or three absolutely fabulous chances and missed them again. It’s a problem.
“I feel gutted again today because of the chances we created.
“When strikers are in oneon- one on goal you have to score those, but we didn’t and it’s cost us two points.
“We won the first half 1-0, but the second half is a little bit more concerning because we conceded a goal and failed to score even though we probably created more chances.
“(Adam Bolder) had a great opportunity to put us two-nil up when you expect him to at least work the keeper.
“Unfortunately, that happens on too many occasions so we need to get our finishing boots back on again and try to get back to scoring some goals.
“It’s frustrating because Calvin (Zola) is getting into some great areas, but he’s got to make the keeper work.
“We’ve got to start capitalising on more of our chances.”
Peschisolido was also frustrated by a rare defensive lapse that allowed Harrad to celebrate his return to the Pirelli Stadium with a goal.
He said: “We managed to get one goal but, second half, they stopped us playing in fairness to them. They sat on the two full-backs and the centre-backs and didn’t allow us get the ball out.
“And we conceded a sloppy goal from a poorly taken corner kick really. He’s scuffed it along the ground and how it’s rolled across the box for someone (Harrad) to tap in, I’ll never know.
“We need to defend better than that definitely, but other than I thought we defended quite well when they put balls in the box.
“They didn’t have another shot on goal from what I remember.
“Some of our defending was brilliant, but again we’ve come away without a clean sheet.
“We got to work that little bit harder, concentrate for 90 minutes and not have those little lapses.
“But we’re not going to be downtrodden about it. Some of the football was fantastic and we’re moving in the right direction.
“We just need to win a game, that’s all.
“I feel negative because I felt we should have won the game, but there were plenty of positives.”
Rotherham manager Andy Scott described the result as “a point gained” as his improving side stayed ahead of the Brewers in what is developing into a seemingly frantic scramble for the final play-off slot.
With the leading pack breaking away from the rest of the field, Oxford United currently hold seventh place.
But only seven points separate eight teams, including 11th-placed Albion.
