Manager Brian Barry-Murphy reflects on Dale’s 1-0 defeat to Blackpool at Bloomfield Road…
“I thought we were in total control of the game in the second half,” said BBM.
“The first half was a battle for supremacy and Blackpool had elements of control, but I thought once we stepped on the gas in the second half, there was only one team in it, and I thought it was only a matter of time before we reflected that on the scoreboard but we didn’t.
“I never speak about referees - I don’t believe it’s conducive to helping the players - but tonight we were denied three clear penalties and one their players hand balled for their goal. I don’t want to seem as if I’m clutching at straws and going down a route that I haven’t gone down before, but I feel as if on behalf of the players that I’ve got to make it clear that there were elements of uncontrollables from tonight that have had a huge influence on the scoreline.”
He continued: “In terms of the performance and the way we wanted to do things, the players gave absolutely everything in difficult situations - some of our players weren’t feeling particularly well but they stayed on the pitch right until the end - and our style of play and the way we played throughout the game. We had to earn the right in the first half and show our defensive qualities, but once we grew into the game and stepped on the gas in the second half, I thought it was exactly what we want to see, and I thought we were brilliant.”
He added: “I thought we created plenty of clear cut chances. Jimmy Keohane had a free header in the box, Stephen Humphrys goes through one-on-one and loses control in the first half and Alex Newby also goes through one-on-one.
“It’s slightly disrespectful of me to the label the players as not performing in the first half, and I’ve said that in the dressing room. In any game there are different parts of the game and we had to be resolute and defend resolutely in the first half to earn the right to do what we did in the second half.
“The players were committed to the game plan from the very outset. There were just different parts to the game in the second half when it opened up and when we took control of the game that it made it look much better, but over the course of the whole game I’m immensely proud of the lads and really excited that we can reproduce that on Saturday and put on a performance that will ultimately cause a lot of problems for Plymouth.”
Watch BBM’s post-match interview in full on iFollow Dale.