Manager Kevin Horlock reflects on the win over Braintree Town, maintaining the winning momentum and discusses Taylor Clark's trial at Wycombe Wanderers.
DK: Five wins out of five, good result!
KH: Yeah, like I said before, it's obviously good habits winning games of football, it's obviously what we're all trying to do. It is pre-season, but it matters, obviously coming up against Braintree on paper our toughest opponents to date, so it was important that we improved on the performance on Tuesday, which we 100% did. We had a couple of people back, so had lads missing, it was pleasing all round. I thought the young lads did really, really well, we moved the ball well, defended well, another clean sheet, so yeah it was good today!
DK: We talked about on Tuesday how today would be a big test, and the lads rose to the occasion.
KH: I think it was important, I think we all agreed that we were below par midweek, still was enough to win the game, but we didn't find that level, that consistency, that mindset that we're trying to be at the top of our game as often as we can and today we sort of got there. We got there, we moved the ball well, we were aggressive against higher opposition and I thought we deservedly won the game.
DK: Talking about the goal that separated the two sides, it's well worked.
KH: Yeah, it was good interplay and we spoke about getting bodies into the box and Jacob Lay found himself centre of the goal, six yards out, he don't miss from there! Well, he did initially, when he first came in, but he don't miss from there now. It's pleasing, I thought he was busy, deserved his goal today!
DK: A terrific all round performance?!
KH: Yeah, across the board I thought we defended really well and that starts with Marco (Marcus Garnham), I thought his positioning was really good, back four won headers, didn't get beat down the outside. I thought we spoke well from the back, which Tev (Allen) and Tommy Smith have came in and added to that obviously, and we had a bit of bite in midfield. Hammo (Kyle Hammond) in there, talking, demanding of others and then we had quality in the right areas. I thought Reece Harris, young Flynn (Crosthwaite) and obviously our wide players - Ingers (Luke Ingram) coming back, obviously he's not played for a bit so that was good to get him minutes, Pagey (Callum Page) obviously (got) more minutes, so it was pleasing across the board. I thought even when we made changes, which sometimes happens in friendlies, when you make changes the game dies off a little bit, but I thought the lads that came on added to it as well. So it's minutes in the bank, another good performance, another win - which is massively important, and we move on.
DK: Four clean sheets in a row as well.
KH: Yeah, it's getting worrying isn't it?! Yeah, I think we limited them to very few chances, Marco made the odd save, one good save in the second half, but I thought we defended really well. We won aerial balls, first balls in and we then shut things down, blocked shots and didn't allow them to get crosses in. So that's always a recipe for getting clean sheets, so I'm really pleased with that!
DK: It's one of those games, where you know it's been a great all round team performance, when you're thinking who could be Man Of The Match, literally the whole team could be!
KH: Yeah, it's a tough one to pick today, I think all lads were in and around 8 out of 10, so I'll settle for that. I'll settle for not having a Man Of The Match every game and the lads performing across the board, like that. It was an all round, really, really good team/squad performance today!
DK: With one of the players we have had missing, I know he was a sub today - didn't come on, but Taylor (Clark) being on trial at Wycombe (Wanderers), that's quite good news!
KH: It's good news for everyone, Taylor's come into the building, for whatever reason hasn't been offered a scholar wherever he's went, he was at Ipswich (Town), been to West Ham, went to Colchester, didn't get a call back. He's some player, and yes he was available today, but he's been in, he's done really well training with the First Team all week, I just think it would've been wrong of me to put him in, because if he gets injured, I think he goes back Monday and playing in the game Tuesday, I don't want to hinder Taylor's chances of possibly getting something, as much as we would love to keep him here, and we may. We may, they may not make an offer for him, but I don't want to hinder his chances of that possibly happening and him becoming a professional footballer.
DK: Seth (Chambers) has had a trial this year too?!
KH: Seth went as well, and they're still monitoring Seth, there's been interest in Seth. Look they're two really good young players that are playing step 3 that have shown they can play step 3. So there's always going to be interest, whether that'd be last month, whether that'd be today, whether that'd be next be, or whether that be next season, there's always going to be interest in them as along as they keep developing and showing what they've got, which is lots, and lots of talent.
DK: Moving onto Tuesday, a re-run of the Premier Cup Final against Stow(market Town, 7:30pm KO)!
KH: One we'll obviously look forward to, some familiar faces, obviously Evan and Noah (Collard brothers) there, Munno (Nathan Munson) still there, so there's familiar faces. There's always a bit of derby, a bit of needle being so closely located to us, it's a game we look forward to, but it's a game we look to keep the standard up that we've had today, because it's important that we keep that mindset and standard of wanting to perform as high and as well as we can.
DK: Also in Stow's ranks, is your predecessor, Wilks (Richard Wilkins)!
KH: I've known Wilks for years, obviously that adds to it, so it'll be a good game all round, hopefully there'll be a decent crowd here, hopefully it'll be an entertaining game, hopefully we win and we keep a clean sheet and play well.
DK: Yeah, all about that consistency and momentum.
KH: Yeah, because at the minute obviously last game wasn't great, but there's been a lot of really good performances today, and we've got through it without injuries, which is massively important, pre-season, and as it's going I could have a headache picking the first eleven to start away at Stratford (August 5th).
I don't really celebrate wins in the league that much, I think it's important in football that you keep a level, you don't get carried away when you're doing well, and you don't get too down in the dumps when it's not going so well, because it can be a cruel game.
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