Interim manager Nick Daws was delighted with his players after they clinched a League One play-off semi-final place with a 2-0 home victory over fellow contenders Plymouth Argyle on Tuesday night.
Hakeeb Adelakun and Ivan Toney scored in either half during the victory in front of the Sky cameras, and Daws praised the performance of his team during an interview with iFollow Iron after full-time.
ON THE VICTORY…
ND: I’m delighted. I thought we were excellent from start to finish. We got two cracking goals, could have scored more and probably should have had more. Credit to Plymouth for the goalkeeper’s saves and throwing the bodies in front of shots. I’m so pleased for everybody connected with the club. We’ve got to a point in time where we have a chance with a game to spare, which is fantastic, and it’s now about the weekend (against Bradford City). I thought the boys did everything we asked of them right from the first minute, showing bravery in possession, penetrated the lines, got the ball in behind and switched the play. Everybody was involved in everything we did. Perhaps the one who wasn’t having as much involvement in the game turned the game for us, and that was Hakeeb, because he popped up in that little pocket we asked him to pop up in and he did what he does best, scoring a great goal. That probably released us even more to continue to play that way. In the second-half, we had to defend a little bit and show composure. We defended really well in the main. We were organised and another clean sheet is fantastic.
ND: We worked really hard. We share the responsibilities for certain things and Andy (Dawson) has had a major impact on how we are out of possession. It shows what an outstanding coach he is as he works on it with them constantly. The boys have belief they can keep clean sheets, which is important going into the game, and also that they can win, which also gives that added confidence. We have outstanding talent, not only on the pitch but also on the bench and in the stands. They’ve been outstanding in their attitude to supporting everyone.
ON IVAN TONEY’S GOAL…
ND: I saw it but didn’t see exactly how it came about. It was a typical Ivan finish in and around the box. That’s eight in 13 now and it’s what we needed. He’s doing what he needed to do to stay in the team. He is doing really well, we’ve worked hard with him and he’s worked incredibly hard today in the distance covered and work he’s put in to make life difficult for their defenders. He is starting to understand how to use his body a bit more to make it difficult for defenders. He did that and it’s credit to him, he just needs to keep doing it.
ON WHO HE WANTS IN THE PLAY-OFFS…
ND: When I was at Rotherham, I played with Hursty (Shrewsbury manager Paul Hurst) and with Warney (Rotherham boss Paul Warne) so it would be nice to face them but I’m not too fussed.
ON THE ACHIEVEMENT OF FINISHING IN THE PLAY-OFFS…
ND: I’m massively proud. It’s been a tough five weeks, with what happened. So, getting my head around that has been tough but the support of everybody has been great. I’m immensely proud and have loved every football club I’ve been at. You have to work hard and enjoy what you do. With Andy, I have a fantastic assistant with a fountain of knowledge. Ultimately, it’s about the players and the football club. For me, it’s about trying to do the best for them.
ON THE ATMOSPHERE AT GLANFORD PARK…
ND: It was incredible. It’s been a while since we’ve experienced that and in its own right it had the feeling of a play-off game. The pitch was nice and short, the ball moved really well. If every game here could be under the lights in this situation, it just creates a special atmosphere. I always felt that as a player, and the players certainly responded to it. Let’s see what the next couple of weeks bring.
ON THE HOME GAME AGAINST BRADFORD…
ND: We approach it looking to win the game. Momentum is really important and it might give us the opportunity to rest a few. A lot of players have not played who really deserve a chance and we’ll have to reflect on the impact of everyone else in the league as well and respect that. As far as that’s confirmed, we’ll tackle that at the end of the week.
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