Head Coach Stephen Crainey spoke to the media ahead of his side’s trip to the Jonny-Rocks Stadium to face Cheltenham Town on Saturday afternoon for the latest Sky Bet League One fixture.
Town head into the clash on the back of a four-game unbeaten streak, picking up four points in that time, with the last game being against high-flying Milton Keynes Dons at Highbury. The Cods went behind early on, but they fought back and a Paddy Lane strike in the second half saw the points be shared.
Here’s what Stephen had to say in his pre-match interview:
On Saturday’s opposition…
“They are a good side who come into the game off the back of a good win over Sunderland. They came back from a goal down as well which shows they have good spirit, and we know it’s going to be a tough one.
“In terms of the overall performances, I’ve been pleased with the attitude and determination of the group. When you don’t win games of football, you make sure you don’t lose them, and that’s what we’ve been doing. We are wanting to turn these draws into wins.
“I don’t think there is much in it in this division, on their day, anyone can beat each other. They’re a good outfit, who are organised, and we’ve seen that they are a team that could hurt you. I’ll try to pick a team that can counteract that and, hopefully, we can get the points on the day.”
On Paddy Lane after his Player of the Month nomination…
“He’s been different class; Paddy [Lane] trained with me and the Under-23s group initially when he came in the building, and I could see his quality in the first session. I said after the session that we needed to sign the lad ASAP and ever since that day, he’s been outstanding.
“Paddy is a good lad, who wants to listen and learn every day and that’s exactly what he’s doing. He’s starting to get a few goals for us, as well as being in the top percentage of assists for the league, so he’s doing well and hopefully that can continue until the end of the season.
“The good thing about Paddy is that he’s quite versatile in the amount of positions he can play, and that is down to him being a good footballer who understands the game well.”
On Harvey Macadam making his debut…
“Harvey [Macadam] is another good example of young players coming through, who we got from Ashton United. He came on in the second half and I wouldn’t have put him on the pitch if I didn’t trust him. I know what they can do so they are going to be great additions for us.
“In the 23s games that he has played in since he’s come in the building, he’s shone in them and looks like he is ready to get some minutes at the first-team level. He looked good in the game the other night, with good energy, covers the pitch well, and can handle the ball so we are hoping to see more of Harvey between now and the end of the season.”