REACTION | Nathan Munson + Seth Chambers Post Match Interviews | Needham Market 7-0 Stowmarket Town | 14.11.2023 | Endeavour Automotive Suffolk Premier Cup Quarter-Final | Bloomfields |

REACTION | Nathan Munson Post Match Interview | Needham Market 7-0 Stowmarket Town | 14.11.2023 | Endeavour Automotive Suffolk Premier Cup Quarter-Final | Bloomfields |

Goalkeeping coach Nathan Munson reflects on last night's win.

DK: Nice win in the a cup, against your former team.

NM: Yeah, I think so. You know, it's an important competition.
Tom and Kev, would quite rightly would say that all the time, it is animportant competition. We know that it means a lot to the fans, re-run of last years's final, but a very different result.

DK: And you were on the other side of it in the final as well?

NM: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. On the other side of it, that day was a game of,
well, quite high quality actually. This game Stow, of course, have taken a bit of a different direction since then. Wilks, you know, is a fantastic manager, he's still there at the helm, so they're getting good guidance. But we see that they've taken a different direction than they seem to have a really young side out today
that worked hard. But you could see that there was a gulf in class. 

DK: Yeah, very clinical from us and Seth in particular.

NM: Yeah, absolutely. I think first half we weren't brilliant. I think it probably flattered us possibly a little bit.
We went in at half-time three-nil and, you know, we were really keen to make the point at half-time, you know, you've got them where you want them now, but we really wanted you to push on. And second half is an opportunity to really put them to the sword. So that's why Tom and I are particularly pleased that second half we were clinical. Seth was absolutely fantastic. He was climbing up to score, was excellent, you know, he's come on an enormous amount since I was last at the club. Really impressive, but all round I thought the boys, you know, really put it in second half. You can see Stow, actually their started to drop a little bit, but it was, you know, in the end of it, really, a really, really, sort of clear result. So we're quite happy with that. Put it away two months, the semi-finals, the latter part of the season.

DK: I think so. First half when Seth got his second, two-nil already, but it was a bit of a big moment because Ingers just had his pen up save, put the ball straight back in, scored.

NM: Yeah. Yeah. I think that's one for that there'd be an honestly deflated with that one, because I think the penalty save just gives them a little bit of a glimmer, and then, like you say, literally it's a straight ball over the top, they're not defending it, Seth's in, scored, three-nil half-time. You know, they've got a mountain to climb, we've got the cushion. So then, you know, how are they going to play it? Are they going to sit in and try and, you know, just damage limitation or are they going to come out? Which obviously opens up the opportunities and space for us in the second half. So yeah, that really finished the game I think as a contest in the second half. We come out and we did the right things. We kept our standard high, we kept passing, we kept working hard and that told in the end.

DK: Spoken about Seth and getting five goals and assists, but, Tev got three assists as well and a goal himself.

NM: Yeah, Tev was really good tonight. He's really agile, saw that last year of course at Stow when he was there. He really adds a lot of energy to the team.
You know, the assists were great and had some real good qualities as well, which I don't think people always recognize actually the level of quality he's got in his game. Seth was excellent, I don't know if he's got the match ball. Did you see Drew? If we've got a second match ball, then the club would be in a bit of trouble!

DK: Don't think we have one!!

NM: He'll have to pay for it! But yeah, good I mean, I think in all the all-through side, the clean sheet was really important today, you don't want to leak a goal and then turn it into a battle again. Marcus had to make saves, but you know, thoughout the team everyone's done their job, really. 

DK: Yeah, a solid team performance, and it was good for Ollie to get his second senior goal as well.

NM: Yeah, and a really good header, actually. You know, at the back post, it's a great header back across, really pleased for him as well. It's nice when you can, you know, rotate and give some of the lads a few more minutes, than ordinary they'd get in league games. They come on and make an impact. That's absolutely what you want. I mean, Seth, you know, five goals, it's a selection headache for Kev when he's back with us for the next game, for sure.

DK: Yeah, for Ollie's goal in particular. It's quite unusual, because you don't usually see Jamie whipping them in, he's normally on the end of it, and Ollie the other way around.

NM: Yeah, yeah, yeah, but a good ball in and I think we had an overload in the back post,
because I think Ollie was there and I don't know if there was someone else who looked like that might've been Ingers, like an overload sort of queuing up to head it back in, but it was a really good ball in and a great header back across, yeah.

DK: It's difficult to kind of compact it, isn't it, into one interview?

NM: Yeah, yeah. Yeah, there was a lot of goal action. I mean, quite, you know, a decent crowd as well, which is, which is, you know, good. Lots of goals, good endeavour from the boys, clinical. No game, Saturday, so we're all good, we get rest and repaired now, we have one or two knocks, gives us the opportunity just to get the boys all ready for the next match, Saturday week, Bromsgrove at home.

DK: It's a question I normally ask Kev, but what pleased you most tonight?

NM: Me, ex-keeper, clean sheet! Done!

DK: How have you found it being back at Needham?

NM: Yeah, great. Yeah. I mean, it was just work, really work commitments that made it impossible for me to  stay at the time, and so I won't be able to make all of the long away trips, but, you know, I love being in and around the club. Tom and Kev Barty, you know, Bex everybody involved on the management side, are excellent. I've known a long while, of course.
I've known a lot of players for a long while as well, so it's great to be back. It feels like the right place to be, so yeah, thoroughly enjoying it, and it makes it a lot more enjoyable when you win more than you lose, so that's nice. 

DK: Yeah, not much has changed, but also you're coming back into the building with us flying, did that give you any nerves if you didn't want to sort of jinx it?

NM: No, not at all, I mean it's easiest time to come into a football club, isn't it, when you're coming in,and the team are playing well, they're winning, they're keeping lots of clean sheets, but I mean it's massive credit to Tom and Kev, they've both known again inside out. They've made some really shrewd additions to the club during the close season, obviously, they didn't have the season that they wanted to last year, you know, from a league perspective, and did really well in the cups. You know, the Premier Cup winning that, and the FA Cup great run, but I know Tom and I know Kev really well and they've been bitterly disappointed with their league position, so really pleasing that they've made additions that they have in the summer, and you can see out there today, well, this evening that they're starting to bear fruit, and you know, to be second in the table, listen, nothing's handed out in November. We all know that, we've been a game long enough to know that, but to be second in the table to have the clean sheets that have had, the number of wins that they've had,
and now to be in the semi-final of the Suffolk Premier Cup, which we pick up again in March,
and a good run in the FA Cup is really testament to how they've pushed the club forward in the last period of time.

DK: With being an ex-keeper, the amount of clean sheets that we've been keeping, which has been frightening, must be even more pleasing for you?

NM: Yeah, I mean, I can't take credit for many of them, to be honest, just the last two or three, but, yeah, I mean, that is a fantastic base to build from. There have been a number of games this season that just through not giving anything away, enables you to nick one late on is a winner, and that is why keeping clean sheets is so, so critically important, because it always keeps you in the match. I mean, you look at some of the players that you've got, it's no surprise. I mean, Marco, excellent, excellent goalkeeper, been around this level an awful long time, you know, and then in front of him, really solid defensive unit. They all know each other and have played together for a long period of time as well.
So, you know, it's a real team effort, but the clean sheets are excellent reward for real team harmony as well.

DK: And to finish off, we've got a break, like you're say, until we played Bromsgrove
but they're another difficult side to play.

NM: Yeah, Bromsgrove, I mean, I don't think they're having their best season this year.
They're a funny side sometimes, you know, some years there, they have a big budget and they're all up there, and then other seasons, they'll be less so this season, but never the less they'll be a really tough match. They'll come down there, you know, they'll have watched a bit about us, and they'll prepare properly, as we will, and it'll be another, you know, important match, another big match. You know, from our perspective, the lads have got a little bit of time off now, we've got one or two injuries, and we need to clear up, and then we'll hit it hard next week with training Monday and Thursday, and go through the preparation. I'm sure Tom will have some details on them for what'll be an important match,
and we hope that we can get another three points.

REACTION | Seth Chambers Post Match Interview | Needham Market 7-0 Stowmarket Town | 14.11.2023 | Endeavour Automotive Suffolk Premier Cup Quarter-Final | Bloomfields |

Five goal hero Seth Chambers reflects on last night's win.

DK: What a night for you, Hey. 

SC: Yeah, yeah, it's a good team performance, going forwards I think first half especially, I thought we could be a lot better. I know we've scored seven and people look at that and think we've played really well, but I think we can play a lot better than that. We maybe lowered our levels a little bit. I know we've got lads that are struggling, but I think we got the result. We got seven goals, so that's the main thing. 

DK: Five for you as well. 

SC: Yeah, the ball kept coming in the right area. Thankfully I was on the end of it. I missed a few earlier on in the season from some angles and positions that you'd never want to miss from, so I'm just glad that I can get on the end of a few tonight. 

DK: You must be indebted to Tev for getting the assist for three of them. 

SC: Yeah, Tev put in some good balls tonight. A lot of the lads put in good balls whether there for my goals or the other ones and we're getting players in the box attacking crosses, which is the main thing, causing their defenders trouble.

DK: I can't remember many games, if any, where a player's got five goals and an assist, six out of seven goal contributions. That's something, isn't it?  

SC: Yeah, it's good. I mean, just trying to make those runs use the energy I have. Obviously a lot of the lads out there have played a lot more minutes than me, so it's only fair that I do a bit of running for them, try and be busy and get in the areas where they're going to struggle with and I think I managed to do that a few times tonight, but lads found me very well and it made it quite easy for me, really. 

DK: You've scored eight goals in this competition now this season, 10 in all competitions, five in one night. You scored the winner in the final last year. Is this competition, the Seth Chambers cup or something? 

SC: No, no. It's a competition I like playing in. I think as a team we like playing in and it's one we take seriously. We'd love to win it again this year. It's definitely a priority of ours and onto the next game really. 

DK: How does that sound, when I that you've scored 10 now in all comps, top scorer for the season and obviously eight in this one?

SC: Yeah, it's nice to hear, of course my job's to score goals, so I've got a few tonight, but I could add a lot more this season than I feel. I feel I've got to keep working harder now, making sure I deliver over however many games. It's long season ahead. I like to get a few more than I've got at the minute. I wouldn't have to stop now. 

DK: I think this night couldn't have been any better for you, could it? 

SC: No. Yeah, the Ollie goal, he's headed it back across goal. I'm nearly, if I had a bit more energy I might've been able to sneak that off him as well, but no, I'm proud. A few of the lads got some goals as well, and Ollie got a goal, which I know he'll enjoy. Yeah, I think overall performance wise, going forward, especially we work hard at training with the runners and making sure we've got a lot of energy and that paid off a few times tonight, so hopefully we can continue to do that. 

DK: Only two other players scored when we scored seven is quite incredible, isn't it? 

SC: Yeah, well lads are putting in great areas for me. I'm making that run. I mean, like you said, Tev's found me in the six yard box, you don't get that all the time. The service was second to none really, and it's my job to get on the end of them. They should be asking the questions if I'm not there or if I miss it, so I've got to thank them for that. Really, they made it easy for me tonight. 

DK: Well, the first goal, well, is from around eight yards out. You had to pedal back and over head kick it in. 

SC: It's one of those ones, you don't score those every week. The balls kind of bounce before me and I'm not really shooting. I'm just trying to get it back into an area. It's hit me right on the top of the toe and managed to go in, but yeah, it's one of those nights I think have a game like that every time, but I think some of the habits were good. I know energy, I was a bit knackered towards the end, to be fair because not played many 90 minutes, but fitness is good to get a full game and hopefully I can get a few more minutes over the season. 

DK: Where does this rank in terms of your first team career so far?

SC: Yeah, it's a good game. It's one that'll probably stick in their mind over the next few years, but I'd like to push on some of the FA Cup games are good, obviously, but you want to make those regular, you want to keep striving for more, so I'm not trying to rest on that at the minute, not resting on the laurels. 

DK: The more goals, the merrier. 

SC: Yeah, a hundred percent. A hundred percent. Like I said, that's what I'm here to do. That's what they ask of me to try and score goals. Thankfully, I've got a few tonight and hopefully I can continue.