After every match, the media ask to talk to a player from each team, and I got the nod from the gaffer following Saturday’s defeat to Millwall.

I’ve been in the game a few years now, and one thing I’ve learned is that you have to face up to things.

We weren’t good enough on the day, and that’s what I told the reporters.

Taking on Millwall at The New Den, in front of a sell-out home crowd and 3,000 of our own fans, was a big occasion.

But in many ways the occasion is irrelevant. Some basics – competing for every ball, doing the simple things well, concentrating at all times – are required in every match, and that’s the starting point for every team.

Although we did okay in the first half, we just weren’t mentally strong enough after they scored just before half-time, and that really showed when they scored three goals in a matter of minutes.

There is a reason why Norwich are top of the league and looking good for automatic promotion at the moment.

They set their stall out the same every time they take to the field and they don’t make silly mistakes. Consistency will take you a long way in this league and they’ve done that brilliantly. They may not be at their best every week, but they get results.

We shouldn’t beat ourselves up too much, though. We have good spells, but we don’t quite have that consistency. We need to iron out our mistakes, but we are still fourth in the table, with a lot of games to come against our rivals.

The reporters were very keen to ask me about a similar own goal I scored for West Ham – or rather against West Ham – at the same ground six years earlier. That was also on Mother’s Day, which made things easier for them when they were writing their headlines.

It’s not one of my luckiest grounds, and my own goal was actually very similar to the one before.

In truth, though, while it’s a good coincidence for journalists, those sort of things do happen to defenders from time to time – it’s part of the job.

You’ve got to try and cut the cross out, and if you do it 1,000 times, on one occasion it might spin off you at an unfortunate angle.

The worst thing about the day was the disappointment for our fans, who were terrific before the game and in the first half. They didn’t deserve that.

We all know we have to make amends against Gillingham on Saturday, and we will be desperate to put things right.