REACTION | Tom Rothery Post Match Interview| Felixstowe + Walton United V Needham Market| 29.07.2025

Manager Tom Rothery reflects on last night's friendly at Felixstowe.

DK: Not quite the night you were hoping for, how do you sum up the game?

TR: First half was good aside from missed chances, they had one clear chance that we need to do better with but overall I felt we were good aside from not taking the chances and openings we created. In a proper game they have a bigger problem with the foul on Joe Neal which looked like a penalty but was given as a free kick. The second half from us was really poor simple as really. Yes you make changes but regardless it’s just not good enough. Their keeper getting man of the match tells the story wasn’t quite as bad as the end score suggests but clearly plenty for us to do better. 

DK: Are there any positives to take, and how do you think that compares with preparations so far this summer?

TR: I think generally we’ve been ok we are moving the ball well and before tonight I’ve said to the lads we need to be more ruthless and clinical and equally more resilient. Before tonight we are not giving lots of chances away but despite this we are conceding too many tonight kind of summed up where and what we’ve done in the previous games. Keiran 55 minutes, the young lads all came on and offered some good bits more minutes into others but not much other than that. 

DK: What do you think needs putting right after a disappointing night?

TR: We need to be more solid, more clinical. 

DK: One final friendly before the season kicks off, what do you think to the first handful of league fixtures?

TR: Tough, Harborough and Real Bedford are pretty much everyone’s tip for the title, Bromsgrove away never easy and a new challenge in Worcester and a local derby with Leiston so there’s no easy ones there but we know what to expect. As I’ve said previous this level of football is tough there all tough games. 

DK: Before then however, we travel to Lowestoft, what are you expecting from the game and from us?

TR: We have a couple back in Dan and Jake so I’m certainly looking for more solidity, Hunts still isn’t ready but aside from Jamie everyone else as it stands is available so we need a more complete performance. There’s been bright spots we need to see that more consistently and to do that we need to add more solidity and a more clinical performance.