The two sides will have to face each other in a replay at Glanford Park during the midweek after next on a date yet to be determined.
After the initial game, Alexander provided his reaction to iFollow Iron and also provided an update on midfielder Neal Bishop, who missed the match.
ON THE MATCH…
GA: It was a grind to be honest. There was not too much quality on show from either team, possibly coming down to one bit of magic or set-piece – which both teams had opportunities from. I think a draw is a fair result, but we can look to improve on our performance – to be better in the next game and improve on our performance. We were a little bit below our usual selves in general play. That’s a little bit disappointing because we wanted to win the game. We’re still in the hat for the next round though with another chance to go through, and got a clean sheet too, which is another positive.
ON JOSH MORRIS AND CAMERON BURGESS MISSING LATE CHANCES…
GA: We know what Josh can do from that sort of range. We also had a header at the end (from Burgess) where we could have nicked a win. Northampton also hit the bar and post in the first-half though. A draw was the fair result but we know we need to be better next Saturday to give ourselves the best chance of winning that game (versus Bristol Rovers).
ON THE CLEAN SHEET AND REPLAY…
GA: We started the season exceptionally well in that regard. It was well-documented and the boys deserved it. They deserved that today too because I think we defended well. There were a lot of set-pieces given against us today, and they were all delivered with good quality into good areas. I felt we were harshly treated with free-kicks – I think the count would have been quite one way. We had to stand up to that and in general we did apart from those couple of opportunities. It was always going to be a tough game – they’ve picked up in recent weeks. I don’t think myself or Jimmy were looking for a replay but I think we’ll both be content with a replay because we want to be in the next round, and it gives us another shot. We have to really focus on Bristol Rovers now, and work hard in training to give ourselves the opportunity to get the win.
ON NEAL BISHOP MISSING OUT…
GA: He’s got a muscle strain between his ribcage so it’s quite a sore one. It’s not too bad generally but as soon as he starts twisting and turning, it’s a sharp pain. There’s no way he could play today so we’ll see how he is. It’s just a case of time really, and settling it down to a certain point. I’m sure when he comes back to play he’ll still have some discomfort but it’s the level. As long as it doesn’t hinder his movements and mindset, he’ll be back in contention, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case today. Fingers crossed that time’s a quick healer with Bish and he’s ready to go again.
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