Manager Brian Barry-Murphy reflects on his side’s 1-1 draw with Lincoln City at the Crown Oil Arena…
“I thought it was a very good game,” said the Boss in his post-match interview.
“Lincoln are a high-class opposition and they are going to be one of the big hitters in the league, so we were aware of their threat.
“I thought we were exceptional for the first 45 minutes. Our commitment to attacking play was true and easy to see. In the second half, the game became more difficult for us, not intentionally, but because of the opposition. Certain elements of our play became scrappy, but the lads gave everything and I have just commended them on their application and commitment to the cause. I asked them pre-game to give absolutely everything for the club and they left everything on the pitch.”
He continued: “It would be easy to remember the second half and how much pressure we came under, but there were spells in the first half where we were as good as we have been all season. We were irresistible in terms of our attacking play and in terms of the commitment of the lads to really go for it. We felt as if we maybe should have had one or two more goals in the first half. It’s easy to remember to the second half rather than the first half and us not being able to go forward with the same gusto, but I’m just really, really pleased with everybody tonight.
“There are different ways to defend and in the first half we were really aggressive and on the front foot, which is what we always want to do, but that’s not always possible because of the opposition that you are playing against. There were two different ways that we defended tonight, and in the end, we conceded a goal. I’ve seen the goal back and our lads have thrown their bodies in front of everything – some days they go in, some days they don’t. We would have liked a bit more control in the second half in terms of the way we provided an attacking threat, but that’s something we can add to our game as we progress.”
Stephen Dooley opened his account for the season and BBM was pleased to see him get his name on the scoresheet.
“We’re very conscious of the fact that all of our team have got to score goals and take the load off Ian Henderson as a squad.
“Stephen is someone who gets into that area of the pitch over and over again due to his physical capabilities, and it was very rewarding for him to score. He should be adding goals to his game because he’s a player who possesses the highest level of technical ability.
“He’s a very good technical finisher and he has always been renowned for his assists, but there’s no reason he can’t score goals and be an invaluable contributor to that part of the game.”
Watch the full interview on iFollow.