Banana
23rd February 2005, 08:31
"We had a good chance from Eddie Hutchinson to go one-nil up early on. We weren’t as fluid, and were second to too many challenges. We were not mobile around the pitch. Overall I think it was a fair result. But in the first half we had several opportunities and could have created things and never took them. In the second half there was some very sloppy defending. From having a lead with over half an hour to go, I thought that may have given them a lift to win the game.
"It was a good old poacher’s goal. He has done well recently. It’s just disappointing we didn’t do enough all over the pitch. They had a go, but there wasn’t the urgency in their play, that we normally have. We did great to get in at half-time 0-0 and I was hoping in the second half they would kick on. They got the goal, and I thought they would, but it wasn’t to be.
"It has to be known we had a training session in a gym this morning and I was playing Scott Fitzgerald tonight. But he went down with a viral infection this afternoon, so I had to change the team around tonight at 6pm as I left the hotel. All the work I did in the gym had to go out of the window. I brought Matty Harrold into midfield, who I wasn’t planning on playing but I had to. Of course you are going to miss good players like Talbot and Chrissy Hargreaves. Those two have 600 league games between them and when you come to Hartlepool, you need them. The young lad, who made his debut, did well. Harrold stuck in and did well. Deon Burton has had tightness in his calves after Saturday. Jay Tabb has been tired since Saturday. Andrew Frampton was going to play tonight, but he has had tightness in his hamstring. We are short, but there are no excuses. The ones who have come in are more than capable of playing in winning teams. They will get there opportunities again. We should have got something from that game.
"There were too many silly errors, mistakes. In the first half we were miss kicking the ball and mis-heading the ball. Poor recovery runs, but God bless them they got away with it until half-time. They don’t want to play like that, let’s be honest. It wasn’t a lack of effort. One of our strengths this year is been always basic bits-and-pieces. Tonight it wasn’t quite right. I suppose you could make excuses about things, but that isn’t my style. You take each game as it comes and be ready to be first to the ball, the header, first in the race and first all over the pitch to the first minute to the last. Every game we play is the most important now.
"Well the next one is Sheffield Wednesday, I treat every game the same. I never talk about the game after. Nothing has been said about anything else, other than tonight. The players have all their food and drink ready for the bus home. We are going to get back very late to London tonight. We will be back in on Thursday and dust ourselves down. On Saturday they will be first to the ball and they will play with the urgency that is required, that has made us successful."
"It was a good old poacher’s goal. He has done well recently. It’s just disappointing we didn’t do enough all over the pitch. They had a go, but there wasn’t the urgency in their play, that we normally have. We did great to get in at half-time 0-0 and I was hoping in the second half they would kick on. They got the goal, and I thought they would, but it wasn’t to be.
"It has to be known we had a training session in a gym this morning and I was playing Scott Fitzgerald tonight. But he went down with a viral infection this afternoon, so I had to change the team around tonight at 6pm as I left the hotel. All the work I did in the gym had to go out of the window. I brought Matty Harrold into midfield, who I wasn’t planning on playing but I had to. Of course you are going to miss good players like Talbot and Chrissy Hargreaves. Those two have 600 league games between them and when you come to Hartlepool, you need them. The young lad, who made his debut, did well. Harrold stuck in and did well. Deon Burton has had tightness in his calves after Saturday. Jay Tabb has been tired since Saturday. Andrew Frampton was going to play tonight, but he has had tightness in his hamstring. We are short, but there are no excuses. The ones who have come in are more than capable of playing in winning teams. They will get there opportunities again. We should have got something from that game.
"There were too many silly errors, mistakes. In the first half we were miss kicking the ball and mis-heading the ball. Poor recovery runs, but God bless them they got away with it until half-time. They don’t want to play like that, let’s be honest. It wasn’t a lack of effort. One of our strengths this year is been always basic bits-and-pieces. Tonight it wasn’t quite right. I suppose you could make excuses about things, but that isn’t my style. You take each game as it comes and be ready to be first to the ball, the header, first in the race and first all over the pitch to the first minute to the last. Every game we play is the most important now.
"Well the next one is Sheffield Wednesday, I treat every game the same. I never talk about the game after. Nothing has been said about anything else, other than tonight. The players have all their food and drink ready for the bus home. We are going to get back very late to London tonight. We will be back in on Thursday and dust ourselves down. On Saturday they will be first to the ball and they will play with the urgency that is required, that has made us successful."