00:00I'm joined here with Buckland manager Matt Cusack after a home defeat to Bridgewater.
00:04Matt, what are your first thoughts on that game?
00:07Yeah, really disappointing second half.
00:08I feel like it's taken a gloss off a good first half performance.
00:14I didn't feel that we deserved to be losing at the interval.
00:18I actually thought we were the better side, created more opportunities.
00:21But the man in the middle deemed that a penalty should have been awarded
00:24and that's what separated the teams at half-time.
00:28So that was disappointing.
00:31So we knew we were up against it at that point.
00:34I said to the boys, you know, you shouldn't be relying on officials anyway.
00:38I feel like, you know, we've got to take care of ourselves and take responsibility
00:41and not look towards other people to blame.
00:45So second half, you know, we wanted to come out and it was basically rinse, repeat more of the same.
00:51I thought we played really well first half.
00:53The second half, we just never seemed to be able to get going really.
00:57They started quite, quite brightly.
01:00Had a goal ruled out for offside early on.
01:04And then, you know, the ref deems another penalty, if you will.
01:12Yes, I'm disappointed.
01:13When the opposition manager is saying that was never a penalty, probably, you know, wasn't upon reflection.
01:20So, yeah, disappointed with that.
01:21I felt that decisions went against us today and obviously we compound that with a red card as well.
01:25So it went from bad to worse second half and we've got to learn from that.
01:29So, yeah, we addressed that in the changing room.
01:32That can't happen.
01:34But, you know, it was just all around frustrating second half.
01:39I didn't feel that despite the numerous balls going into the box, it's always felt like we were waiting for
01:47it to fall to us instead of being proactive.
01:49You know, we're really trying to get on the end of things.
01:52And, yeah, for us, it's a setback.
01:56You know, we've come into the game today missing key players.
01:59I won't hide from that.
02:02And, you know, we should have everybody available, hopefully, when we resume in 10 days.
02:09And I think we're at the point then whereby we'll have everybody available.
02:13We'll be able to pick a squad from everybody that's available and then really drive the competition for places that
02:18we haven't been able to do.
02:19And I think like the previous two occasions that we've been here, you know, the last time in the FA
02:26Cup, I thought we were poor from start to finish.
02:28But missing key personnel.
02:30And then today we're missing key personnel, but I thought we were really good first.
02:36But when you get opportunities against the, you know, in the top games, you've got to take your opportunities when
02:40you're on top.
02:41And we didn't do that.
02:42So we need to learn from that because momentum is a big thing in football.
02:45And I think if we had scored the first goal or gone into the lead at halftime, you know, I
02:50might be stood here with a different outcome.
02:52Who knows?
02:53But we've got to learn from that.
02:54And so, yeah, so obviously you want to get back out there as quick as possible.
02:59We've got a period now whereby we'll be on the training grounds and we're not due to play again for
03:04another 10 days.
03:06And we've we'll have everybody back then, you know, bar suspensions after today, and we'll have a squad to be
03:13able to choose from.
03:14And then that's, you know, every manager today is saying that's what you want to be able to do is
03:17pick from everybody that's available.
03:20And we've just not been able to do that in the last two games here.
03:22And it showed, to be honest.
03:24You mentioned obviously missing key players, but then you did have a couple of the newer faces come in.
03:28How do you think Finn and Jordan performed?
03:31Yeah, I thought Finn was really bright.
03:34I thought he was really bright.
03:35Maybe could have been a little bit more selfish really early in the game.
03:37He was right through.
03:38I think he just tried to link with another player and maybe should have gone alone.
03:41But I thought he was neat and tidy.
03:43He looked the threat in the offensive third.
03:45I thought his running beyond the last line was really good.
03:48And I thought he was a bright spark on the day.
03:52And Jordan is a combative defender.
03:54It looked like he had a little niggle in his groin area.
03:57He hasn't played a lot of football in the past nine, ten months.
04:03So we're getting him up to speed.
04:05But he just had a little niggle there.
04:06So we decided to take him off.
04:08He's on a yellow card as well.
04:09So it was one of those whereby, you know, we didn't want that to turn into two yellows,
04:12which equals a red off the back of a slower challenge, we say, because he's got a little niggle.
04:17So, yes, we did that as a precaution.
04:20Listen, at like 2-0, we switched shape and we went for it to try and get a foot-old
04:25back in the game.
04:26And it just didn't materialise.
04:27They get a third, then we get a red card and it just went from bad to worse.
04:31So overall, disappointed with how it finished.
04:35And we'll have to lick our wounds and be ready to go again in ten days.
04:38I think towards the end of last season, after a difficult defeat or two,
04:41I asked you, how do you pick up the players again?
04:43And you said that's on them as much as it is on you.
04:46Is that still the case with this one?
04:48Yeah.
04:49I mean, you know, as I just explained to them, once we get everybody available,
04:53we're going to have to leave people out the squad.
04:55So I'll have to be making phone calls and leaving people out the squad.
04:58So all they can do is make sure that they're available as often as possible,
05:02that they're putting them working on the training ground and make sure that they're in that squad.
05:06And then once they're in that squad, they've got to make sure that they're in the team
05:08and they've got to have that attitude as, you know, you're not leaving me out.
05:12And that's all we can do.
05:14You know, I think we've been more than fair to them all.
05:16And I don't think there's any player that can come back and go, you aren't fair to me.
05:20And they've all been given a platform.
05:21And so it's on them.
05:22You know, ultimately, I want to win football matches.
05:25And I've just, you know, reinforced that idea to them.
05:27Our aspiration is to make the playoffs and we won't accept anything less.
05:32So it is, you know, it's a little bit of pressure, but, you know, they've got to be able to
05:38handle that if they want to survive here.
05:40And then just lastly, what did you make of Bridgewater as an opponent and a team up there with you
05:44in the playoff rush as well?
05:46Yeah, they're an efficient team.
05:48Obviously, they've got a threat in their front line, the fourth front three.
05:52They're methodical.
05:55And, you know, they've kept the clean sheet.
05:57So they'll be delighted with that.
06:01But, yeah, you know, they're up there for a reason.
06:03And you can see that.
06:04I think they're a team of men.
06:05And that shows.
06:06You can see that as well.
06:08So very streetwise.
06:10You know, we got sucker punched into one or two things there, which we'll be disappointed with looking back.
06:15But, yeah, I do think they were given a little helping hand as well.
06:18But less said about that, the better.
06:19Here we go, okay.
06:19Okay, well, I'm sorry, guys, I'm fine.
06:19Okay.
06:19Okay.
06:20Okay, let's see.
