John Ward Talks About The Grimsby Match

Last updated : 10 November 2007 By Thetashkentterror

John Ward
United boss John Ward spoke to BBC Radio Cumbria's Derek Lacey after the 1-1 draw at home to Grimsby in the FA Cup this afternoon, Ward suggesting that his players looked lethargic today :


" I'm satisfied that we've got a second chance, I'll put it that way. Our first-half was pretty dull, not much imagination about it, we looked a bit lethargic in terms of the pace about our game. Then mentally as well there was a really dull 45 minutes. We had to lift that in the second period and we huffed and puffed but we did lift it in the second period. I don't think they (Grimsby) can grumble that we have come back into the game the same way that I wouldn't grumble that we were a goal down.

" Over the 90 minutes though Keiren Westwood has not had a lot of work to do but we've not been able to find our fluent football. They've come and played a very, I won't say defensive because they've found a goal, but they didn't come at as too much in the second period. We managed to lift it up and it was a reward for persistence play rather than good play from us.

" We even wondered when the penalty came around because we were looking at who was going to take it and they told me that it was Danny Graham and he was sat down next to me. So I just wondered if it was one of those days but Zigor (Aranalde) stepped up to the plate and very emphatically put the ball in the back of the net. Then you saw a different mood around the whole place, not just on the pitch but the mood lifted - we are going to win it now. We were looking for that obviously earlier in the game and in the last four minutes of injury time.

" We've done alright though, I'm not going to grumble at my players, they have had a heck of a lot of football as you know. I've just said to them then that they either don't like training or they must like travelling because they have found another game for us to go and participate in. So we're in the cup, we're in the next draw, and we'll know what we've got if we can manage to overcome Grimsby at their place. "



" I've said to the players that they have just ruined their weekend off next week because now we've got to get some work in. I'd rather have that though than be out of the cup and, certainly at half-time, we were going out of the cup. That is the important factor that we want to stay in it, we've managed to do that, we know that we can play better and we hope that we do that in the replay.

" We did things wrong against Leeds last week and nobody mentioned it because we have won the game 3-1 and they've told me how wonderful the performance was. If you actually remember the first goal was from (Marc) Bridge-Wilkinson's poor delivery in the box off a free-kick and Simon (Hackney) scores and all those things get forgotten. I told the players that, if you go and win the game 2-1 they will forget about the first-half because they will see us as the comeback kings or whatever phrases you press guys want to use on us.

" We've nearly done that, and the ones that I've got in that dressing room are an honest bunch of people who are persistent in their play. We know, and they know particularly, that there is more quality than they have shown today but sometimes you get games where you have to find a result from somewhere and they have managed to do that today.

" Everyone is OK, you probably saw Danny Livesey get a whack and fall awkwardly but he is OK, he has completed the game. That's what I mean, they are honest, they stick at it, they want to be there, they have accepted my changes in terms of the substitutions. We'll be OK if we keep doing that together. We are still there, they (Grimsby) will now think that they are probably the favourites, they have taken us back there and it is a super result for them. We've got to see if there is any complacency in them that we've got to take advantage of but we know that we've got to play better than today.

" They (Stockport) are higher in the league obviously than Grimsby so you expect a tougher game, and Grimsby have certainly given us a difficult game today. We saw Chester come here and play very well against us in that competition, I've got no illusions about how difficult Football League teams are, or any teams in one-off competitions that you play against them. So we need to be better than today next Tuesday if we are going to progress in that one. "