Brian Stock spoke to us following our match against Wrexham:
On the performance: “First and foremost, preparations in the week went well. We went into the match with a gameplan to be nice and compact which we did well, but also try and hit Wrexham on the counter. We wanted to stay in the game, we made some changes through Martell, Omar and Sean coming on, but also pushed Tyler forward more towards the end of the game. But Wrexham are a very good side, their infrastructure is unbelievable, it’s no secret the money they’ve invested into the club, they’ve got top players at their disposal including last season’s League 2 top scorer. We’ve managed to keep him quiet which is a bonus. In the end, it was a special set piece finish from a good piece of individual skill proved the only way they could get through us. But if you looked at everyone’s contribution, whether that’s staff or players, we’ve tried our hardest to get something out of the game and that’s all you can ask for. I would also like to pay tribute to the fans that came to Wrexham, it’s a very long trip for them but they made themselves heard and we appreciate their tremendous support”
On the gameplan: “I thought defensively we were solid, but attacking wise it’s something we will look back on as an area we want to enhance. I felt at times in the first half half, we kept the ball well but lacked a real cutting edge in the final third. When we worked it into positions, we went a little bit too direct and turned over possession too easily, so it’s something to concentrate on this week, to try and keep possession better and get more bodies forward. It would be nice to try and get a blend of the two.”
On the positives to take from the game: “I thought defensively and also our mentality was excellent, we’ve gone to a tough place and although we’ve lost the game 1-0, we could have quite easily got something out of the game at the end. Although we soaked up a lot of pressure, I thought that Ross and the back five defended really well. There’s lots to work on, lots of positives and there was also a real feel good factor amongst the players, they are all desperate to do well.”
On Tom Solanke’s debut: “I thought his debut alongside Andy Robinson was a real plus point. He got about the pitch well, broke up play, understood his responsibility and took that on board. He only trained twice so, in a short space of time, it’s a real positive for me that he’s taken on information quickly and delivered an assured performance on the pitch. He has many attributes including his physicality, his athleticism and he’s also comfortable on the ball, which I’m sure over the coming weeks and for the rest of the season will get better and better.”
