Steve Morison has told his Cardiff City players they cannot keep giving themselves a mountain to climb if they are to ease their Championship relegation fears after another fine comeback at Birmingham City on Saturday.
Cardiff found themselves two goals down at half time courtesy of counter-attacking goals from Troy Deeney and Ivan Sunjic, but fought back through strikes from Kieffer Moore and Mark McGuinness.
It was the fourth time Cardiff have come from behind to claim at least a point under Morison's leadership, and their late equaliser in the first minute of stoppage time was greeted with jubilation by the away end at St Andrew's.
The manner of the comeback is another testament to the spirit coursing through the veins of this Cardiff team right now, but it would be a mistake to overlook the Bluedbirds' shortcomings at times.
Indeed, while pleased by his team's second-half efforts, Morison says there was still a tinge of disappointment in the dressing room at full-time.
"It was two counter-attacks and two goals," Morison said when dissecting Birmingham's two goals.
"From their perspective they're all good goals. From our point of view, all could have been stopped at various points. People running past people.
"Then second half, we made changes. Brave, positive changes, and they worked to a degree. Both sides could have had a couple more. It is what it is.
"We came off at Stoke where we'd come back from 3-0 down and then today it's 2-0 down before getting back to 2-2 all in the last minute.
"To be honest there wasn't happy faces in the dressing room because we know that can't be the norm.
"We can't keep doing it. We keep giving ourselves a bit of a mountain to climb.
"From a positive, the heart, the character, the attitude, the application, you can't fault. We could have rolled over and let it go, but we haven't.
"1,700 Cardiff fans have gone home slightly happier than they were.
"It's a point rather than none and that adds a bit of positivity. But we've got to be better."
The Bluebirds return to Cardiff City Stadium next weekend against Derby, where they will look to arrest a worrying run of home form which has yielded eight defeats in nine attempts, and Morison admits his side have to improve ahead of what promises to be a gruelling Christmas period.
"We'll keep driving it," he added. "Keep driving it on the training ground, in the games. But at some point they need to take some responsibility for what's happening on the pitch at times. It can't always come from us to do that.
"There's enough experience in there. Enough bodies to make that happen.
"I think everyone can see that it's better, but at the minute we're just getting punched when we don't do something we should do right.
"We keep pushing, and I don't know whether that will end up being a very good point in the scheme of things.
"From a positive point of view, it's excellent, but the players know that we don't want to keep having this conversation."
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