Manager Kevin Horlock reflects on yesterday's goalless draw.
DK: Still in the hat, what do you reckon?
KH: I think we come into today's game, and you want to be in the draw for Monday, and if that meant obviously going away from here with a draw, instead of a win, then you take it. Obviously, it's a tough place to come, we've been here a few times over the years, league above, so we were underdogs, but I thought in the game, I thought we were the better footballing team. Obviously they're very direct, we expected it, we knew that was coming, but we just didn't have that final bit of quality in the final third. A real close call on Seth for offside, I don't think it was personally, but I would've took it at the start of the game. I think if you would've said to me we'll take them back to Bloomfields on Tuesday, I would've took it. So obviously I'm pretty pleased, the lads have again put in an unbelievable shift, we've got (our) skipper pulling out before the game, Keiran Morphew with a sore neck, which obviously leaves us a bit short, then obviously Reece Harris has done his hamstring fairly early on. So we had to shuffle the pack a little bit, and Jake (Dye) did unbelievable at centre-half, I think in Keiran's replacement, so all in all I'm pretty happy. But it's half a job, we've got to finish the job off Tuesday.
DK: As you say with those 2 enforced changes, before and early into the game, it didn't trouble us.
KH: No, we've got a good squad, obviously we are a little bit light with lads missing, but Keiran was always going to be a big blow for us, he's the leader, he's the captain, he's obviously - in my opinion - one of the best centre-halves in this division, and the one above, so obviously for him to be made unavailable was a massive blow, but I thought the lads coped with it really well, they didn't really look fazed by that. Jake just went in there and looked as if he'd played centre-half all his career, which he did at left-back last year. So, look, it was a big loss with Keiran, but it didn't really weaken us that much, we kept another clean sheet - which is good - and it probably gives us another bite at the cherry - and it possibly makes us less underdogs on Tuesday with it being at home.
DK: Although, like you say, we were the better footballing side, in terms of chances did you think either team really had a proper go at it (winning the game)?
KH: Not really, I can't remember too many chances, I think they put in a couple of decent balls in late on, which is obviously their threat, other than that, like I say Seth's offside is really tight. I'm not so sure it was offside, but it is what it is, and Seth had that little run late on, but it was a weird game actually - I've not seen one for a while with referees normally giving free-kicks for everything. Today, there was free-kicks for nothing, there was clothes line, WWE maneuvers happening out there and there weren't free-kicks given. Bizarre, bizarre, but he was consistent, he didn't give them all afternoon, so you can't really grumble, it's just a little bit confusing when it happens, you're not really used to referees being like that. It was like a throwback to when I started my career, when anything goes, but I thought the lads battled hard and certainly deserved to stay in the hat for the draw on Monday.
DK: Seth, when he came on, added that extra kind of bite - in a way - to us, and changed it a little bit more into our favour.
KH: Yeah, he had fresh legs, obviously he's not played as much football as the others - Ingers and that - up top, and obviously we've worked tirelessly up there for a number of games now, and today he had to work up there quite isolated and on his own, so I think Seth just gives that little bit of energy, like I said I think the goal that got ruled out offside wasn't, but yeah he did well when he came on - Seth - and added that little bit of injection of pace as well, and he llooked frightening as well. He looked dangerous, but we couldn't get the goal, so we'll take 0-0, go back to Bloomfields, we'll rest up, and we've got a few knocks and tight muscles in there, but I'm hoping Keiran will be back first and foremost. I don't think Reece will be, but other than that I think we'll be full strenght hopefully, and we can give it a right good go under the lights of Bloomfields.
DK: Hopefully, aside from obviously with Reece, the flip side of it is that it gives another opportunity for someone like Ollie to come in from the get go.
KH: Yeah, I thought Ollie did well today, he's got that burst of pace, he goes past people for such a young lad - and he's not a massive lad but yeah, good body strength - keeps hold of the ball, I think going forward he's got massive potential and he'll add goal threat to that as well. So I thought he did well today, Ollie, and like you say when people miss out it means opportunities for others.
DK: Do you reckon Tuesday's game is going to be much the same of today?
KH: I hope not, I blooming hope not, look I think our pitch is much better than the one we played on today, we'll look to get the ball down like we normally do, and I don't really want it to turn into a fight off, and it being so aggressive. I'll want to get the ball down and play round people and hopefully we can get the ball in the final third and cause problems like we do to most teams.
Stand-in captain Dan Morphew also reflects on yesterday's draw.
DK: Still in the hat!
DM: Yeah, it was a tough game, hard fought draw, pitch is tight, a bit bobbly, they're direct and big and physical, so a draw's a good result away from home, no complaints really.
DK: Obviously with the County Cup game initially scheduled for Wednesday, is it a problem to have more games?
DM: I think you don't really care what game's when, you play them as they come really, so it's not really a big deal that the County Cup gets moved to another week when you're doing well, when you're playing well - winning games - you expect to have a lot of fixtures built up really. So if you win in the FA Cup, or you win in the FA Trophy, win in the Premier Cup youexpect there's going to be a fixture build up, so we just play one game at a time. There's no difference to us when they're Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday so let's keep going.
DK: With playing a team a league higher today, does it make it more pleasing to have got a clean sheet away?
DM: Yeah, to a degree, look the last two years we've played loads of teams higher up than us, two or three years since Kev's been here I think we lost away, I remember maybe 3 seasons ago, or 4 seasons ago, Gloucester away in the FA Trophy when we lost. I think it was 4-2 we ended up losing, I think since then we've done really well against higher oppositions, that sort of game I think Gloucester were top of the league at the time, obviously we had a lot of belief. Ever since then I feel like every time we play a team from a higher league we've got a chance, well even the Burton Albion game last year in the FA Cup, we were 1-0 89 minutes, they just got one right at the death and we were in the game the whole time so I think every time we play a Conference North or South, or a Conference team I think we've got a chance. I think we showed that here today, we're more than capable of competing with those teams at that level.
DK: Obviously going into the game - and we still are - second in our league and they're 23rd in theirs, could you see there wasn't much of a gap in terms of positions in the tables?
DM: Yeah, I think they'll admit they're struggling in the league, they're maybe not in the form they'd like to be in, and we're playing well and winning games, I think those things become habits. We may be full confidence, they may be struggling for confidence a little bit, maybe searching for how they're going to win games, and we're sort of got a way of winning games at the moment, and I think that - like you say - that gap didn't look that big, which - well in my opinion - the goal we got disallowed for offside shouldn't have been disallowed for offside, so we should've really been coming away with a 1-0 win. They had a couple of chances, crosses in the box, but other than that it was very even on a bobbly pitch, the referee let it be very physical which suited them, and I think we stood up well to that challenge, and showed that we're more than capable of competing with them.
DK: With Keiran being injured, and Reece getting an injury in the first half, we showed great resilience to defend how we have been.
DM: Yeah, absolutely, I think we've got complete confidence in Jake dropping into centre-half and Kyle going right-back, you know, don't get me wrong Keiran's captain, he's been a standout player for Needham Market for the last decade, so every time he's not on the pitch it's a miss, and especially in a game like that, because like I say they're a physical side and to be honest Keiran's probably our most physical player, in terms of strength and heading the ball and agressive ness. So you know, we definitely missed him to an extent, but in his absence I thought we defended really well as a team, and sort of we more than stepped up to the challenge without him, and it's a shame to lose Reece early on. I think he started really well in the game, he was getting on the ball nicely, and setting things up. I thought it obviously weakened us when he went off, to a little extent, we sort of missed him in there, bit of composure on the ball, he was doing really well, so it's a shame to see him go off, but we'll turn around Tuesday and hopefully Keiran will be back, and we'll go again and we'll look to push on.
DK: As stand-in captain, what would you like to see from us on Tuesday?
DM: The only thing I care about every week is eleven players giving everything they've got, if 1 to 11 we work hard and full of endeavour, and give everything, as a captain, as a player, as a manager, I'm sure as a coach, that's all you ask for. You know, people are going to have bad games, and they're going to have good games, but you know as long as everyone's giving a hundred percent that's all we ask for, as a team, of each other, I think if we do that we've got a chance to win every game.
DK: How important is this competition to you, personally?
DM: It's always nice to do well in the FA Cup, it's a special thing to achieve, we had a good year last year getting to the first round, when I was really young I was part of a Leiston squad that close to that, and it was all a memorable thing when I was younger, it was really great to do it again (the) next year sort of being an instrumental part of the team and to do it two years on the trot (now), would be amazing. So if we manage to get into the first round, 2 years on the trot, it's great for the players, it's great for the club in terms of financials, it's great for the fans, with the teams you could end up playing against, but as a player it's just another game really. I just want to win every game, if it's the FA Cup, if it's the league, it's the FA Trophy, I want to win every game and yes they can lead to more special days out, but a win's a win at the end of the day, and that's the most important thing.
DK: So no concerns about fixture congestion then?
DM: No, I don't think so, just one game at a time, just play the next game at a time, you don't look too far ahead, you just look towards the next game. I'm not thinking about who we've got when in the future, just playing one game at a time and trying to win one game at a time. That's all we can do I think as a squad, and players and manager, it's all we have to do.
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