REACTION | REECE HARRIS POST MATCH INTERVIEW | NEEDHAM MARKET V HITCHIN TOWN | 15.08.2023 | 2023-24 COMPETITIVE GAME 4 | LEAGUE 3 |
Last night's Goalscorer and Man Of The Match, chosen by Match Sponsors Rock Estates, Reece Harris reflects on our first win of the league season and the campaign so far.
DK: First win on the board!
RH: Yeah, nice! Yeah, very good to get the three points, Saturday's a good game, obviously a draw you probably from the outside look at it as a 0-0 as an absolute borefest, but I think we created enough chances Saturday to back it up tonight, and as you've seen some good play. Very good play for the first goal, it was a bit more like what we were in pre-season, but yeah really good to get the win, just overall pleased for the lads, because the last two games warranted a win, so yeah good to get it on the board!
DK: And you took your second goal for the club in style!
RH: Yeah, to be fair I think I probably had about 7 free-kicks since I've been here, so glad one's gone in! I don't know to be fair if it went through or over the wall, but I'll take it as long as it gets us points on the board I'm not really fussed how it goes in to be honest!
DK: How have you settled into the club so far?
RH: Yeah good, obviously as you see around the place it's a good fanbase, everyone in terms of travelling fans is really welcoming, I knew a few of the lads beforehand anyway. The way we try and play as well sort of suits my style, so from that front it's been easy to adjust, and then the lads are just legends anyway! So yeah, really easy on that front!
DK: Yeah, it was an important 3 points tonight, like you say.
RH: Yeah, just I think mainly the scoreline at Stratford obviously maybe put, I don't know, I wouldn't even say like pressure to be honest, because we've played, it sounds really silly from the outset really, saying we've played well in a 6-1 loss, but we actually played some ok stuff for the first game of the season. As always first game no matter who you win or lose or draw against, at the end of the season the points tally's the thing that matters. So it was a bit weird because it sort of flattered them I think. I think they had about 8 shots in the whole game and scored 6, obviously some of the goals we conceded were a little bit poor, but as you've seen the last 2 games we've sort of built on what we were doing in pre-season. I think that's more of us especially tonight as well, definitely the first goal I think opitimises it. Short, sharp, passes, one two in and around the box and good movement from Pagey, and a great little ball from Jake and a good finish as well.
DK: It was a clinical first half really?!
RH: Yeah, I think especially when you've got a home game on a Tuesday night, if you can get some goals early on in the first half that always sets the tone, because obviously the away side have got to come out and chase. There's a little bit pressure as well, potentially there's a few more gaps, and the way that we play we can ecploit them. Obviously as you've seen second half we didn't add anymore goals, but we still a threat on the counter attack and obviously as you can imagine they're going to come out and try and chase and get back in the game. I think we defended excellently across the board, especially from the front as well.
DK: Yeah, like you say it was a sort of solid, comfortable defensive performance.
RH: Yeah, I think that's it. It sounds so cliche, but you give yourself a base to start from you can always add to it, especially when you're a side like ours, who like to get the ball down and play. I think we've been a little bit better in terms of mixing it up, maybe because the scoreline - like I said, not even in the way that we played the first game - obviously defensively, yes, but in terms of giving ourselves that base to play from you'll see that we will start creating stuff as the game progresses, or even like you saw in the first half with short, sharp passes when the game does open up for us to allow to do that. So I think it's just about giving ourselves a good base and setting the tone, and getting a couple of goals if we can and then teams have always got to come out and chase, and it's hard when you're chasing a game no matter what team you're playing against.
DK: Like you say, got the result the performance deserved.
RH: Yeah, definitely, obviously Saturday, like I said, it could've gone either way, they had a couple of chances, we had a couple really good chances, and I think if any team would've knicked it Saturday probably wouldn't have complained either way, but the football we played in spells and how solid we were on Saturday we've obviously came out tonight and as a team backed it up, like I said, from the outset defensively across the board we were good back to front. Like I say I think we took the chances as and when they sort of approached us, so it's pleasing to get the win!
DK: How does it feel to be Man Of The Match?
RH: Yeah, I mean it's always nice, first and foremost I would take anyone getting a single goal and us winning 1-0 every single week, but I mean it's obviously nice, but yeah just pleasing to get the win mate!
DK: Saturday will be another big game against potential promotion candidates in Coalville.
RH: Yeah, obviously as you saw last year they didn't quite have enough to get over the line, but it's always tough that season where you've had a good run and you haven't managed to get over the line, and then you've got that that little bit of expectation as well, especially the home side to then go again and see if they can back that up the following season, or at least push again. I think they've started well, and as you've seen they're a good side, so as long as how we've defended the last couple of games you'll see we'll still create chances, and hopefully it's just one of those where we're clinical and we can try and get the ball down and play in the right areas.
REACTION | KEVIN HORLOCK POST MATCH INTERVIEW | NEEDHAM MARKET V HITCHIN TOWN | 15.08.2023 | 2023-24 COMPETITIVE GAME 4 | LEAGUE 3 |
Manager Kevin Horlock also reflects on last night's first league win of the season.
DK: First 3 points!
KH: Yeah, it was pleasing tonight, I thought it was a good performance on Saturday, could've won it although I thought they (Halesowen) were good on Saturday as well so it's about backing it up, and I think we have done tonight against a team that's won their first two (games) and I think you can see why. They're threatening, they're mobile, they left 3 up when we were in possession, but I thought we nullified the game well. We put bodies on the line, defended in numbers and obviously got two really, really, good goals. First one is something that we've spoken about quite a lot, trusting each other, making runs forward, which we did that on the right-hand side. And we spoke about players making runs across people in the box and being mobile and on the move, and it was a great run from Pagey and a really good finish. Obviously Reece showed the quality that he possesses with the free-kick. So the goals are really pleasing, but the all-round performance I thought was really good tonight!
DK: Yeah, we were clinical when we needed to be.
KH: Yeah and that's important, and they're a good team. They've improved massively in my eyes from even last season and they were a threat, there's no getting away from it. They've got players that can handle the ball, they look to shift and shoot, and we've not conceded and won 2-0 so I'm made up with that!
DK: Would you say the second half was a bit fo a dull affair?
KH: A little bit, but again I don't mind. I think we've done the damage in the first half, yes we could've maybe done a little bit more to kill the game off, but I like the fact that we managed the game, played into areas, we run the ball into the corners, these are all traits and things that teams do that are successful, because they end up winning the game, so I'm not going to grumble about the second half being a little bit of a dull encounter. I'm actually quite pleased it was, because they've not scored - alright we've not scored - but we've two (goals) tonight and that was enough.
DK: Yeah, the first half was a bit of a half of two halves really, they started the brighter, then we came into it.
KH: Yeah, we sort of started a little bit tentative I must admit, we sort of panicked, not panicked but rushed when we were in possession and kicked it out off play quite a lot, but once we had that little bit of composure, played into areas that we spoke about we caused them problems. So yeah, look, it was an all-round really good performance from the lads. They're going to be tired, because they've put a lot of effort in the last two games, we'll manage them, see where we are on Thursday and this league's relentless, we go to Coalville on Saturday. So it's obviously going to be tough, Coalville are a good club, a good team that's always there or there abouts, but we go in good mood.
DK: Yeah, another solid all-round performance and second clean sheet on the spin!
KH: Yeah, we looked really solid defensively. Obviously Jake was magnificent at left-back (last season), right-back hasn't played there a lot in recent times but he has been magnificent. The addition of Tommy in alongside Dan and Keiran has really added to us as well, he not only defends well, he talks, he gives us a lot going forward so defensively we looked really good. Obviously with Marco behind them and Hammo in front of them with Reece on him.
DK: Yeah, Marco was relatively untroubled tonight.
KH: Yeah. It seems a million miles away from the first game of the season, I didn't see the 6-1 coming, this is what we're about, this is what I expect now, this is the standard they (the players) set, so the first game of the season I'm hoping it's proved it was just a one off and a blip. So we've been very good defensively the last couple (of games).
DK: Yeah, it's a bit like our start to last year really, a mixed bag, a win, loss, draw.
KH: Yeah, I think we take that now, obviously it's been a good start, it could've obviously been a lot better, it could've obviously been a lot worse. So I don't think we get too greedy at this stage and think about results too much, it's more about the performances because if you keep the performances that high and are consistent - like we have been the last two games - you'll win more than you lose.
DK: You made a couple of changes to the starting eleven, any reason why?
KH: Ingers was struggling, so Ingers - I named him on the bench - wasn't going to participate, his knee's a little bit sore, and what was the other change I made, tell me.
DK: Seth for Jamie.
KH: Seth, I decided to start Jamie in the nine (position), thought he'd get hold of the ball - which I thought he did. I thought he did very well, he's not obviously played a lot of late, had the injury and then obviously brought Seth on to stretch them, because we wanted to stay a little bit more together and resilient in the midfield. So, we're a squad, lads are going to miss out at times, it doesn't mean lads have not done well, it'll be for certain games, certain moments in games. They will understand that, they're all going to get a chance, they wouldn't be here otherwise. They're all good players that can start, that sometimes you have to make decisions like that.
DK: We went back to our familiar 4-3-3.
KH: Yeah, I just knew they were going to play 3-5-2 so I thought we could try and hurt them in the wide areas and spaces in behind the wingbacks with Pagey and Jacob. So thats's what we looked to do and with the result being 2-0 obviously I must've got it right tonight, but that's part of management. Sometimes you do, sometimes you don't.
DK: When you get it right you're a genius!
KH: Well I wouldn't go that far mate, I don't think I'll ever be classed as a genius, but I got it right. Me and Tom obviously talked about it a lot, Tom knows the opposition in and out, so that's what we decided to do, so we're made up. We won't rest on it, said to the lads there it was a good performance, but we want to keep backing it up and it starts on Coalville on Saturday.
DK: Do you think with the start being tentative there was a bit in the back of the players mind that we haven't lost here against them?
KH: I don't know, you could look at it both ways, I think their manager said they don't normally do too well here, and I said that I hope that continues. I think as a group it's difficult, because I try and keep them positive as I can. You're always chasing that first win at the start of the season, obviously we hadn't had it, that maybe makes you be a little bit more tentative and keep the handbrake on a bit, but once we got the goal it settled us right down, and gave us that confidence that we needed. So we're off and running, first 3 points now we're chasing our second three points and second win.
DK: Yeah, growing in confidence as we go on in games.
KH: Yeah, I think that's important, obviously football's a horrible game, it can be cruel at times, but out of the last couple of gameswe've got what we deserved.
DK: Saturday, another big one - well they're all big ones - but Coalville away especially.
KH: Yeah, it's always tough obviously going to Coalville, I think the good thing is that I'm not sure that they'd think about us, they're a good team and probably see it as a home win and 3 points for them, but I said to the boys down there if we defend like we do, have those energy levels when we are in possession there will be areas to play, there will be chances for us to get at them. So hopefully we can take them by surprise.
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