O'Malley: The atmosphere's good and there's confidence

Iron defender Mason O’Malley reflected on Tuesdays 2-2 draw at Oldham Athletic and looked ahead to this weekend's game against Aldershot.

The Republic of Ireland Under-21 international started by talking about the point earned against Oldham, saying: “It’s a tough place to go, there’s a big crowd there, but we went there with the intention of getting three points. It was a game where we came away disappointed after we had fought back and taken the lead. We’ll take the point though, and move on looking for three points this weekend.” 

Going forward, the defender thinks the team need to improve how they start games. He said: “I think you can see that we’re not starting games well enough, whether that’s a mental thing or a physical thing. It’s taking going behind to get us going, and that shouldn’t be the case, so it’s certainly something we’re looking to improve on.” 

O'Malley also spoke about the penalty which was awarded against the Iron on Tuesday night, stating: “We all felt a bit hard done by in the changing room, but that’s what happens in football. It’s not the first time that a decision hasn’t gone our way, but there’s nothing much we can do about that.” 

Looking ahead to the importance of the Aldershot fixture, he said: “It will be a good week if we beat Aldershot. There’s been a lot of times where we could have turned one point into three, and although we’re still picking up points, it’s not what we deserve based on our performances. We have to make sure we get the win.” 

The Iron are now five unbeaten under the interim management of Tony Daws, and O'Malley says the confidence in the dressing room is building. He said: “I think you can see in training and in the dressing room that the atmosphere is good and there’s confidence. Confidence is massive and I think it’s that which will drive us forward. All eyes are on Saturday.” 

He also spoke about the impact of the fans. He continued: “They’re like the 12th man, they really do push us on and get behind us. The belief is there now and even when we go 1-0 or 2-0 down we’re still going to fight. We’ve turned it round on a few occasions now, but hopefully that won’t be the case on Saturday and we’ll be in the driving seat.” 

The defender has nailed down his spot at left wing-back in recent weeks, and couldn’t be happier. He said: “It’s good, Tony Daws and Michael Nelson really want us wide players to get forward and attack. I want to create more chances, and get assists and goals, and get in the area so it’s been nice. I think I needed to get that run of games, especially with past injuries, so to be getting this game time feels really good.” 

He finished: “I think for myself, mentally and physically, it’s good to be back in the team again and playing matches. It’s good for me on a personal note.”

See much more from Mason O'Malley and Michael Nelson on Iron Player.