Alex Smithies felt Queens Park Rangers could have gone to win the clash with Sheffield Wednesday after Idrissa Sylla's equaliser.
After Adam Reach's opener on 12 minutes for the play-off hopefuls, the QPR faithful may have expected the worst.
But Rangers looked for a way back in and didn't take long to do so through Sylla.
However, Wednesday regained their lead on the half-hour through Daniel Pudil's follow-up header, following a brilliant save from Smithies to deny Jordan Rhodes.
The 2-1 defeat was Rangers' fifth on the bounce and by the odd goal, so it shows just how close a contest they've been involved in.
"We kept getting beat by one goal and it's very hard to take when three of the last five games we've been good," Smithies told Get West London.
"We have been able to pin teams back and not been able to take chances.
"I thought we would have come into our own when we equalised through Idrissa and go on to win it, but we've given them another goal.
"We now have a big London derby game this weekend and what better way to put it right?
"The first goal was unlucky as it took a richochet off a couple of players and their man slams it in, so that was difficult to save.
"The second one was a cross from a free-kick we would have liked to defend better.
"It was unfortunate as sometimes it falls to one of our players on the rebound and we clear it.
"Ultimately, we had chances in the end to score and they were just stronger than us in keeping it out.
"We have difficulties with injuries, so we're struggling a little for numbers. But it didn't show as the lads who stepped in did well and on another day we might have taken something."
