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Manager's Assessment - Dunston UTS

Manager's Assessment - Dunston UTS

Nigel Oldrini13 Oct - 10:17
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'It’s just belief and hopefully that’s a bit of a tipping point for us where the lads believe they can do it against the better sides'

We were really poor in the first half, and they were really good. We just didn’t stick to the game plan, and they’ve got a certain way of playing and we let them have their own way in the first half and let them recycle the ball all the time.

They would throw it backwards and start again and work it out the other side. We didn’t get our press right at all; there was no aggression, and when they turned the ball over and we had it we didn’t use and didn’t keep it.

We kept putting into areas where we didn’t have runners, and we just looked a little disjointed. The first goal shell shocked us, and we went into our shell a little bit, although the first fifteen minutes were OK.

We came in at half time and it wasn’t a riot act job because it wasn’t as though I needed to do that It was more just of a tweak in terms of believe in yourselves.

We are a very good group of players, and we have got a good set of lads in there and they want it as much as I want it. But they just looked like they lacked belief in that they could come here and do what they did in the second half.

That second half; yes, we scored three, but we could have scored six or seven. We had two off the line and the ‘keeper’s made a couple of point-blank saves.

When we get to two all I’m thinking in the dugout that this is when my job comes in and do, we twist and keep going for it or do we shut up shop because two all after being two nil down is a great result.

I said to the lads at half time and one of the messages was I’m not that type of gaffer to hang in a game. I’d rather lose ten nil having a go than sit at two nil and see how the game pans out and see what happens.

So, we threw the kitchen sink at them and at two all we twisted and kept the lads high up the field, kept the high press and got our just rewards with a great finish from Nat.

Over the ninety minutes I thought we deserved it. I thought the first half we weren’t at the races massively in terms of the press like I say. They were really good, and, in some cases, they played fifteen or twenty passes in some phases of play.

I don’t think they strung more than three or four together (in the second half), but I think that was more to do with our aggression and our desire as opposed to them letting off.

So, credit to our boys, it’s a really tough place to come and they are a really good side and as I said last week in my interview not many teams will come here and win.

It’s just belief and hopefully that’s a bit of a tipping point for us where the lads believe they can do it against the better sides. I’ve said it a few times in interviews and things we’re mopping up the mid table and lower sides really well, but the acid test is these games right at the top.

We were very good at North Ferriby but got rolled over if I’m honest against Cleethorpes and they were very good on the night, and we’ve won here.

So, the lads need to believe they can, and I certainly believe that they can but its one game at a time. We’re eleven games into a forty-two-game slog and our last six fixtures we’ve got four away in the north east, away at Bridlington, away at Cleethorpes.

We’ve still all the travelling to do, all the big miles to get through. I know it’s a cliché and boring, but it is one game at a time, and we’ll let ourselves down if we don’t back this up with a win on Tuesday.

So, the plan is to rest up and we’ll see if we can do it again; its five wins on the bounce with today I believe and can we go and make it six and kick on.

Lee Attenborough was talking to Chris Nelson

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