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00:00TJ, 2-1 win at home to Guildford City. Obviously, you're pretty happy with that night's work?
00:06Yeah, no, it's a fantastic evening. Look, the boys, we had a tough game over at Hawley on Saturday.
00:11And look, the one good thing about this group, they love to bounce back and prove a point.
00:16And tonight was really good. Controlled the game for the first 20 minutes.
00:19For one, we probably should have gone first and second quite early, but we didn't.
00:23I felt we controlled the game quite well. Probably could have done better with the ball throughout the game.
00:28But obviously, we didn't. But all in all, it was a very good game tonight. Good result. I'm really pleased.
00:36Noticeable, you really came out of the traps. Real intensity at the start, really looking to put pressure on and get that early goal.
00:43It really took to him from the first whistle.
00:45Yeah, definitely. Tonight, it was really important that we, like I said, off the back of Saturday, energy.
00:51It was all about energy. Go out first ball, second ball.
00:54Win your battles when you're on the ball and then stretch that game.
00:58Get in there half as quick as we can and get an outcome across the pitch.
01:01But like I said, that was the game plan tonight. And another day, we might have scored one or two from the break.
01:07But we got there in the end tonight, which is the most important thing.
01:11York hit the bar early on. That would have been a special one if that had gone in.
01:15Yeah, that was a fantastic shot, to be fair.
01:17Look, he done well tonight and he caused some problems all night.
01:21Shame not to score that one, but that was a great effort.
01:24Yeah, a few other early chances and then you get the breakthrough from the corner.
01:27Really good delivery from George and just, yeah, perfect delivery that really was.
01:31Yeah, listen, it's always a difficult one when you're swinging the corner in on top of the keeper.
01:36Always suspecting mistakes, any keeper at this level.
01:39And that was one that we got right tonight and got the goal.
01:42Obviously disappointed a couple of minutes later going down the other end.
01:45If I'm honest with you, we weren't set.
01:48The goalkeeper's still looking the other way.
01:50The corner's been played. They've played it particularly early in the same sort of area as well.
01:53So, look, if I'm honest, they only had two chances tonight.
01:57And that was one and another one was late in the game.
02:00So I felt that we controlled the game pretty well outside of those two chances.
02:06Yeah, it was only really the goal and the shot they had in the last minute really.
02:10That's right, yeah.
02:11So you had plenty of chances.
02:13And at half-time at 1-1, playing well, feeling pretty confident.
02:16What was the message going into that second half?
02:18Yeah, listen, I said to them before the game tonight, actually, the game will be won and lost on mistakes.
02:22Who make the most mistakes tonight will win and lose the game.
02:25And I felt that in the first half, that mistake that we had here,
02:29and there were certain pockets over the pitch where we were just trying to be too quick with it.
02:33And where we had slowed down a little bit, we started making a lot of mistakes ourselves.
02:37So it's important when we come back out, we look after the ball well.
02:40We take good touches and we find good areas rather than just hot potato, essentially.
02:45But no, it was a good, controlled second-half performance.
02:48Like I said, the lads fully deserved to get the three points.
02:51Got the second one pretty early in the second half.
02:53Kareem there, composed finish, just a drill.
02:55Yeah, listen, I mean, he's brilliant.
02:57He's a brilliant kid, he's got a good attitude.
02:59And he had one at the end as well where he could have had two tonight.
03:02That went off 15 minutes ago.
03:03But yeah, he definitely could have had two tonight.
03:05But it was a great goal as well, yeah.
03:07Kareem, that's come off, took a bit of a whack.
03:09Is he a bit early to know? Is he OK?
03:11Yeah, listen, he'll be fine.
03:13He plays his game a bit like George on the other side.
03:17They get a lot of battles, if I'm honest with you.
03:20So yeah, look, he made the call that he wanted to come off just precautionary.
03:25He should be absolutely fine.
03:27Save himself for another day.
03:29The lads are honest, they're working men.
03:31So we say to them, don't do your teammates a disservice by staying on the pitch if you're injured.
03:36We need everyone out there at full speed.
03:39Obviously you won the game anyway, so it didn't affect the result.
03:42But strong penalty appeals maybe?
03:45That one at the end, I think everyone saw it.
03:49It was a two-handed push.
03:51But look, the referee was being assessed tonight.
03:54I think it was probably quite a big call.
03:56You always get these strange decisions when they're being assessed.
03:59And I think it's actually unfair on the referees.
04:01Because I think another day, if there's not someone watching, he's probably called it.
04:05But listen, that's football, right?
04:08And these things happen.
04:10A couple of chances to get the third, but obviously 2-1 was enough in the end.
04:14But obviously pleasing.
04:15Yeah, I mean, look, we had two or three really good ones.
04:18They could have finished this 3-4-1 quite easily, if I'm honest with you.
04:21But look, as I said, for another day, could have been.
04:23But look, the most important thing, got the three points.
04:261-2-1, good performance, controlled, no injuries.
04:29So yeah, really pleased.
04:31So yeah, good three points, that's the most important.
04:33Up to 13th as well, so just looking to keep building.
04:36Yeah, I'll finish with, I think for us this season, we're in a bit of a false position, really.
04:41With the league and the way that they've pushed us this year, in the sense of Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday.
04:48We're a very small club within a league of a lot of big teams.
04:51And we just don't have the resource and the players to actually, Saturday we're fine.
04:56But then come Tuesday, we are really depleted.
04:58Players can't do those two games in a row.
05:01So we've gone to Whiteleaf on a Tuesday night and we've run ourselves into the ground.
05:04One all 90 minutes and then we've given away a penalty.
05:07We lost 2-1, so we're dropping points where really, on the Saturday, we're probably picking them up.
05:12So we're probably five or six points where we should be in the table.
05:15I think there's quite a few teams that are in the same position, really, in that sense.
05:19But look, it's still early in the season.
05:21We've still got plenty of games to go.
05:23The most important thing for me and my objective is to make sure this club is in this league next year.
05:27And we're well over halfway to doing it.
05:31Points-wise, 20 points now, so we're well on the way there, really.
05:35Definitely. I came in last year, we played 24 games.
05:38We had 11 points, with three points off the team above us.
05:42And they had four games in hand and we managed to get to 29 games.
05:46That's only 14 games and we only played 19, as you say, on 20.
05:50So we're well on our way to make sure we're in this league next year.
05:53But like anything, a week's a long time in football.
05:56Two or three injuries, players leave and then you're kind of back to square one.
05:59But look, fingers crossed, this is a good start to a good week.
06:02We've got two good games coming up.
06:03We've got Saturday, we've got Ballam and then we've got Spellthorne on Tuesday.
06:06So we're going to ask a lot of the boys in the next week.
06:09But if we can get through this week, this next seven days,
06:12we'll be really close to making sure this team is in this league next year.
06:15Yes, and it's obviously a pretty relentless Saturday-Tuesday schedule to ask a lot of a small squad.
06:20But presumably, you just want to take momentum into the Ballam game.
06:24Yes, and that's the thing.
06:25Look, we're at home on Saturday.
06:26It's going to be a very difficult game.
06:27Ballam are obviously fighting for their lives at the moment.
06:29And I know exactly what that felt like.
06:30As I said, we were in that position last year.
06:32So for me, if we can use the attitude we had tonight, apply that on Saturday,
06:38fully believe we can go and do the job.
06:40But look, you're only as good as your last game in football.
06:43So it's important the lads turn up on Saturday and do the job.