Danny Schofield praised the collective effort of his side as they emerged from the clash with Stockport County with a solid point.
The game ended goalless with the defensive organisation of both sides winning out on the day in a competitive affair.
Schofield on how the game played out:
“I said to the players that it was a hard-earned point. I think we showed a lot of fighting spirit. Defensively we were very good collectively to deny the spaces and we defended the box really well with the first and second contacts.
“I think we deserved a point.
“I’ve been really pleased with the lads’ defensive organisation and understanding when to press high or defend a bit deep and squeeze up from those positions. Also how we defend the box, the positions we take up. I feel we defended solidly.
“I was really frustrated because I felt we started the last few games really well and on the front foot, being physical and winning the duels. But the first five or six minutes of this one, we didn’t do that and we invited pressure onto us.
“We soon worked that out and I felt we were much more comfortable after the first ten minutes.”
On areas for improvement from the performance:
“it’s hard sometimes when you’re working so hard without the ball to then transition into attacking play. I felt we had some good moments - Harrison Biggins had a really good chance from good attacking play.
“At places like Stockport, I don’t know the stats but teams will come and not create many chances against this team.
“We need to take those big chances. It’s always that - defensively, how organised can we be, how aggressive can we be and when the moments come to attack, how much quality can we show to try to get the end product?”
On the importance of the result:
“We’ve had some really good away performances - Grimsby, Newport, Swindon where we won. Leyton Orient, we didn’t get the result but the performance was very good. We know we can come away from home and perform. We knew it was going to be very difficult. They’re a good team with really good players and a good coaching staff that have them very well organised. To come away, put on a performance like that and come away with a point, I think it’s positive going into the next two games.”
On the midfield discipline:
“Both Harrison Biggins and Charlie Lakin did that and so has Ben Close when he played. It was a difficult decision to leave him and George Miller out. But I thought Caolan Lavery, Harrison Biggins and Charlie Lakin the middle were outstanding. It’s a collective effort - there’s games coming up where players will play that were on the bench today.
“I thought there were some really good individual performances today but collectively we were very good.”
On George Miller being named as a substitute:
“I know he’s not scoring at the moment but he will. And I think what he’s been doing for the team sometimes goes unnoticed - the positions he takes up to trigger the press because he’s our starting point for pressing, He’s been doing that really well and he’s been moving in behind really well.
“Caolan [Lavery] has been champing at the bit so he got the opportunity in this one and I thought he did really well.”
On Jonathan Mitchell’s performance:
“I thought he made two outstanding saves and coming to a place like Stockport, we knew we’d need our goalkeeper at some point and he stepped up to the plate. He was outstanding.”