Despite a goalless game, defender Manny Onariase was ultimately glad to get a point against Crawley Town at home on Good Friday.
Onariase was back in the team replacing Jordan Clarke after recovering from a groin problem, as the team's ten-day break from playing had given him to recover from the injury which had ruled him out since late February.
He said to iFollow Iron: “As a defender, you want to build on clean sheets, we got a clean sheet on the last game so to come back in and get another clean sheet from today is good. I’m happy with that.
“I would say it was an even game. We did well in the first-half and moved the ball well. I think in the second half they edged it a bit. They looked more threatening so I guess 0-0 was an even result.”
Onariase added: “As a defender, your job is to defend. When they’re on top you get called into action a lot, that’s the nature of your job. When they were on top it’s good that our backline stuck at it, and we were resilient and hard to beat.”
Commenting on his return to the team, he said: “It’s really good to be back out there, getting that 90 minutes of fitness in. I’m a bit sore and tight but I’m ready to go again hopefully by Tuesday.
“The break has been beneficial to me as it’s given me more time to train and to get my fitness ready for this game. We spoke before the Bradford game and he ruled me out but I trust the manager 100 per cent. It was his call and I guess it was the right call. It’s given me an extra ten days to get fit and ready for this game, which worked out very well.”
He added: “The staff have been great with me and managing my body when there are times I could have played but not playing is for the better purpose. They’re looking ahead and not just at this game but games in the future. I always trust them - every decision the gaffer and the staff make - to make sure I can get the best out of my performances."
Onariase continued: “When I’m speaking to Teddy (Howe), JB (Jacob Bedeau) and Mason (O’Malley) they’re always ready and listening which is good. They work well with each other and they’re eager to learn which is the most important thing.
“We’ve got a busy period coming up, so we need all the players. We’re looking forward to playing, getting everybody involved and players will be getting opportunities so it’s just about taking them.”
Looking ahead to the next game on Tuesday night away from home at Carlisle, he said: “We’re looking forward to Carlisle. It’s one of those games we have to go there, be resilient and be hard to beat away from home and hopefully get the win.
“As the manager says every week - we need to play as well as we possibly can and finish as high as possible. We need to pick up as many points as we can and that’s our aim. We’re not looking at a specific place in the table, we're looking to do as well as possible.”
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