Eckert rues key moments at Wrexham

Saints started brightly in North Wales, the scene of a 5-1 triumph in April, but Finn Azaz was denied by goalkeeper Anthony Patterson and Cyle Larin was unable to add to his flying start to the season, as instead Saints fell behind when Kieffer Moore headed home a 35th-minute corner.

James Ward-Prowse equalised early in the second period, scoring his first goal since returning to the club, but Saints could not add a crucial second and were hit by a sucker punch when Keven Schlotterbeck turned the ball into his own net with a minute to go.

“I think there was more than enough in this game today to come away with three points,” Eckert reflected. “In the first half we had complete control, had enough chances to go 1-0 up, and then we concede off a corner.

“We know that we can turn a game around, and we came out of half time and got the equaliser very quickly. Even then I think we had enough chances to score a second one, but in the end we are talking about one long ball and a flick that we are not ready to defend.

“I think it’s moments. Sometimes you have games where you need to adapt and you need to change your structure because you struggle in the way you defend, but I think that was not the case at all.

“I think we had a very good structure and we defended very well, we didn’t concede much but it’s two moments – one corner and one long ball off the goalkeeper. We just need to make sure we are better in those moments.”

Saints have won all four of their home games in the Sky Bet Championship this season, scoring 15 goals along the way, but none of their four on the road, producing two draws and two defeats.

“I’m aware of the statistics,” Eckert continued. “I think the game today didn’t feel like an away game – we had complete control, but in the end we are talking about moments, and they can happen in home games as well as an away game, so I’m not sure if I put that down to playing away today.

“We just need to make sure we control those moments better. I think there have been more than enough points for us to collect on the road, but we haven’t done that so far, so it’s something that we need to improve.”

Eckert was also asked about the half-time substitution of Leo Scienza, who took a knock in the first period before he was replaced by Sam Edozie at the break.

“He tried to push through but the pain was too big at half time. We are going to assess him over the next days,” the head coach added.