With a little over ten minutes to play on Saturday Town were staring down the barrel of a defeat away at mid Wales rivals Newtown, trailing 3-1, writes Matthew Wallace. But strikes from top goal scorer Chris Venables and midfielder Ross Stephens in the final ten minutes ensured the Seasiders made the short journey home with a share of the spoils and by doing so, kept themselves in the hunt for second place.
Reflecting on the match, manager Ian Hughes was positive about the result but naturally disappointed with not securing all three points: “I’m proud of the players for coming back but disappointed we’ve had to do it. It’s been a reoccurring theme over the past few weeks that we need to stop because going forward we’ve been great but we need to stop giving away sloppy goals. I’ll take the blame for that. I want to play an attacking brand of football and sometimes that leaves us a bit exposed at the back.”
With the team needing to claw back a two goal deficit, Hughes credits the comeback on the character of his players and a tactical shift.
“I thought we did really well at the start of the first half. We conceded too many freekicks around the penalty box and we were obviously poor at the start of the second half. Then it was about getting about back into the game and getting that next goal. We changed to a diamond and put two up front to give us more of a chance which looked good. When we’ve got Chris Venables in your team, you’re always likely to score”
The late point keeps Town in the hunt for the coveted second spot. Fellow challengers Airbus UK are the visitors to Park Avenue next Sunday that is televised on S4C and after last weekend’s excellent showing from the Green Army roaring from the Dias Stand Hughes wants a similar performance again from the side’s 12th man.
“They were excellent against Port Talbot and they pushed us on for that equaliser but we need their support this Sunday. The players are doing their best and they’re nearly there but that extra bit of fan support could tip it over the edge for us.”.
Watch Martin Smith's full post match interview with Ian Hughes via Town's Youtube Channel by clicking on the "Videos" tab here.
Reflecting on the match, manager Ian Hughes was positive about the result but naturally disappointed with not securing all three points: “I’m proud of the players for coming back but disappointed we’ve had to do it. It’s been a reoccurring theme over the past few weeks that we need to stop because going forward we’ve been great but we need to stop giving away sloppy goals. I’ll take the blame for that. I want to play an attacking brand of football and sometimes that leaves us a bit exposed at the back.”
With the team needing to claw back a two goal deficit, Hughes credits the comeback on the character of his players and a tactical shift.
“I thought we did really well at the start of the first half. We conceded too many freekicks around the penalty box and we were obviously poor at the start of the second half. Then it was about getting about back into the game and getting that next goal. We changed to a diamond and put two up front to give us more of a chance which looked good. When we’ve got Chris Venables in your team, you’re always likely to score”
The late point keeps Town in the hunt for the coveted second spot. Fellow challengers Airbus UK are the visitors to Park Avenue next Sunday that is televised on S4C and after last weekend’s excellent showing from the Green Army roaring from the Dias Stand Hughes wants a similar performance again from the side’s 12th man.
“They were excellent against Port Talbot and they pushed us on for that equaliser but we need their support this Sunday. The players are doing their best and they’re nearly there but that extra bit of fan support could tip it over the edge for us.”.
Watch Martin Smith's full post match interview with Ian Hughes via Town's Youtube Channel by clicking on the "Videos" tab here.
