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Manager's Assessment - Pontefract Collieries

Manager's Assessment - Pontefract Collieries

Nigel Oldrini19 Feb - 10:13

'I think if we keep putting our bodies on the line the way we did tonight, we'll win more games than we lose.'

We've come tonight against a team that, with all due respect, have not got loads of quality. What they do is they bombard the box with what feels like 50 corners a game because they're throwing it from the halfway line and reaching the six-yard box. You can't get any rhythm in the game and that's why the quality is always poor when you come here.

That sort of team is difficult to play against, but we nullified it. I don't think they really tested KP. I think he made one save in the first half that was a good save, but we've had the much better chances.

Even with 10 men, we've gone through clean on goal and probably should have won it. Yes, like I've said before, haven't I? The results will take care of themselves if, over the course of a season, you work hard enough. There were a few games ago where I questioned a little bit of work rate and running power.

You won't question that in the last two games. Now it's about us making sure that we keep that standard moving forwards. I think if we keep putting our bodies on the line the way we did tonight, we'll win more games than we lose.

You look at the squad now, we're patching up a little bit with a few injuries and stuff, but I think when everyone's back fit, Jack Broadhead to come back in, Jack Watson to come back in, it’s probably the strongest we've been 1-16 all season. So, we're in a good place to hit the running hard. I just think tonight, games like that sometimes galvanise you because, like I say, they’ve thrown the kitchen sink at us from all angles.

It's not even about being under pressure because you're not playing well, but when you can sling it from the halfway line, they've got a poor centre-half playing up front and he's tried to con us out of the game there, their number nine. It's never a sending off for Evo. He's gone into a bouncing ball, he's tried to nick it right in front of the dugout, there's nothing in it.

Ref reaches for a yellow, he goes down, he screams, he pulls out the red and he gets up straight away. When you put a centre-half up front like that, for me it's panic stations and we nullified that threat. It causes us no problems all game and up the other end we should have won it.

I think Kev just rolled his ankle on the halfway line. I don't know if he's got a stamp on his foot or his ankle, but his sock's full of blood and his ankle's swelled up.

So, he played on adrenaline for the rest of the first half, came in at half-time, tried to give it a go and even just jogging out for the second half just wasn't right. So, not worth the risk. We obviously brought Nat on, and Kev's got to patch up, try and get himself ready for Saturday, see how he goes the next couple of days.

It's a point on the road and I think, I know it sounds daft, but I think we've only lost one in 14 away. Which in this league, with the travelling we've done, we've just come back from Newcastle on Saturday, we were in Ponty on Tuesday night and we're in Newcastle again next Saturday. A hell of an effort from the lads, so I am proud of that.

Don't need to talk about the home form at the minute in the middle of three away games, but that's the bit that we've really got to get right. These away performances have been good, and they've been solid. Just that little bit more quality, Kev's hit the bar in the first half with the header, he'll think he should have scored.

There's one where Tav’s beat his man twice down the right-hand side, pulled it across and probably should have scored one of those. Obviously, Draper will know that chance, he'll be having nightmares about that tonight. On another day, you nick all three, even with ten men, I thought we were the better side.

Keep going onwards and upwards.

Lee Attenborough was talking to Chris Nelson

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