Head Coach Stephen Crainey spoke to the press after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Shrewsbury Town at the Montgomery Waters Meadow.
Anthony Pilkington gave Town a first-half lead when he headed home Callum Johnson’s cross. However, the hosts responded in the second half Luke Leahy converted from the penalty spot.
Here’s what Crainey had to say:
On the game…
“I thought we were excellent in the first half of the game and I thought we had opportunities to kill the game and get a second or third goal. We didn’t take our chances, but the most pleasing thing is we’re getting into the positions to actually get those chances.
“I said to the guys at halftime that we’ll expect a reaction from Shrewsbury and I just thought we played one extra pass and invited a little pressure but, we’ll learn from it and we’ll get better from it.
“Once we get that clicking, we’ll win games of football. In the second half they had us penned in a little bit without creating anything clear cut. There were lots of crosses into the box and I thought we dealt with it really well. We conceded through the penalty and after looking at it I thought it was really soft, but the referee gave it."
On the performance…
“The signings we made in January brought a physical presence in the group and I thought we’re going to match that (their physical presence) today and that’s what we did. I thought we coped with them quite well, to be honest. They were a little bit stronger in the second half but in terms of the first half, I thought we dominated the game from the first 10 minutes.
“I’m looking forward to working with Dan (Butterworth). He’s got a bit of quality in the final third and I’m hoping that’s what he brings to the team. He’s a top player. He’s going to add assists and goals to the team and I’m looking forward to that.”