'We have to stick together!' - Wolves boss on Jackson Tchatchoua error
Wolves full-back Jackson Tchatchoua scored a disastrous own goal to gift Birmingham City a share of the spoils in Sunday’s West Midlands derby.
Cesar Peixoto insists Wolves will ‘stick together’ and rally around Jackson Tchatchoua after his disastrous derby own goal – and cautioned that new signing Bertrand Traore will need time to build up his fitness after arriving as a free agent.
A dramatic first half of Wolves’ first visit to Birmingham City in almost nine years saw four goals shared, the last one when Tchatchoua’s overhit back pass beat Jose Sa for Blues’ second equaliser.
Both teams could have claimed victory in a generally less chaotic second period, but ultimately Peixoto was left to digest a point on the road.
“I don’t want this kind of mistake, but Jackson didn’t do it on purpose,” he said of the own goal. “We have to stay together, I help him to improve, to stay confident, because Jackson in the last games did a great job.
“Today he made a mistake, but the team-mates helped him, fight for him, in the dressing room they stayed with him, and we have to stay together all the time.
“I’m never going to put the blame on a player. I don’t want to do this mistake, it can happen, unfortunately for us, they score, but we keep improving the team, we keep fighting until the end together.
“We got a point, it’s important, and we didn’t concede two losses in a row, it’s important for us also.”
Peixoto admitted he enjoyed his first experience of a West Midlands derby.
“We want to play in this environment in a full stadium and for me, and the players, it’s amazing,” he said. “I like an intensive game and intensive in the stadium, but we also want to try and play our way all the time.”
Peixoto said discussions will follow about the make-up of the squad given Traore’s impending arrival, but insisted that he: ‘needed a winger with a left foot’.
“Bertrand is a good player, strong one against one, and an experienced guy, who knows English football,” he added. “He’s a player who needs time to get fit, because he’s been training alone.
“He has to understand how we deal with the game, and stay fit, because it takes more weeks to stay ready to play.”