Quotes from the Weekend: Matchweek 22
Tue 24th December 2024 | Manager Reactions | By Jay Cooper
With a good amount of NWCFL teams in action across this weekend, there was plenty of scope to speak to club managers for their opinions on what their teams produced in their 90 minutes.
Premier Division:
Jake Davies, of Cheadle Town (Cheadle Town 4-0 Pilkington)
"We were excellent from start to finish. I was particularly pleased with the discipline in our organisation and the intensity we played with in and out of possession. An almost near perfect performance. The challenge for us is to try and find a level of consistency.
“Harrison Bickerton's two goals were exceptional pieces of brilliance, and it couldn't have come from a nicer lad! The determination, attitude and desire to win every first ball, second ball and be better than an opponent was the real difference. I love it when I see my team of warriors turn up, we are a real handful for anyone on our day."
Mike Smith, of FC St Helens (FC St Helens 5-0 Squires Gate)
“It was a performance I was really pleased with. In recent weeks, we've not been at the levels I expect. We dropped our standards massively. I've asked a lot of questions of myself, my coaching staff and the players over the last week and everyone stepped up and came together to deliver that performance.
“We were dominant from the off, and we were relentless in everything we did. We used the conditions to our advantage in the first half and then managed them excellently in the second. Five different goalscorers and a clean sheet. A pleasing day all round.”
Ryan Hutchinson, of Prestwich Heys (Prestwich Heys 2-1 Longridge Town)
“As we all know, it’s been tough going! This is a win that’s been long overdue, but one I think we deserved on the day. We put in a gritty performance and the lads had to roll their sleeves up and really fight for the three points.
“I’m really pleased to get the win, and hopefully we can kick on from that now. We’re under no illusions – we know it’s going to difficult from now until the end of the season, but we’ll keep fighting until the very end. That’s for sure!”
First Division South:
Jon Beaumont, of Abbey Hulton United (Abbey Hulton United 4-1 Alsager Town)
“We played well on Saturday. It was a tough pitch to play on, it was wet under foot and very windy in the first 20 minutes. But we played the conditions well and managed to get an early goal and pushed on strongly throughout the first half.
“In the second half, we continued to press hard and controlled the game, and limited Alsager to minimal chances, but we did drop our standards near the end of the game and things went a little scrappy. But as a whole, I am very pleased with the players and our team's performance.”
Adam Bond, of Cheadle Heath Nomads (Cheadle Heath Nomads 6-2 New Mills)
“I feel like we edged the first 20 minutes, and we got in behind their back line on two or three occasions, but it took a bit of quality from Alex May to strike on the volley from outside the box to open the scoring. New Mills came back and had a spell where they broke twice on the counter to deservedly go in 2-1 up at half time.
“Half time was a chance for us to regroup, go back to basics - what we were doing in the first 20 minutes. We dominated the second half and got what we deserved. Another Alex May goal was our equaliser, Dan Lewis put us 3-2 ahead shortly after, and substitutes Edson Cata and Matty Sumner (2) put the game to bed.
Despite not on the scoresheet, Jack Ryan put in a Man of the Match performance, dictating everything we did in the middle of the park. I'm happy for the group. There have been many times this season where our performance hasn't reflected scorelines but on Saturday, they were ruthless, and it's been coming.”
Quotes from the Weekend: Matchweek 22
Tue 24th December 2024 | Manager Reactions
By Jay Cooper
With a good amount of NWCFL teams in action across this weekend, there was plenty of scope to speak to club managers for their opinions on what their teams produced in their 90 minutes.
Premier Division:
Jake Davies, of Cheadle Town (Cheadle Town 4-0 Pilkington)
"We were excellent from start to finish. I was particularly pleased with the discipline in our organisation and the intensity we played with in and out of possession. An almost near perfect performance. The challenge for us is to try and find a level of consistency.
“Harrison Bickerton's two goals were exceptional pieces of brilliance, and it couldn't have come from a nicer lad! The determination, attitude and desire to win every first ball, second ball and be better than an opponent was the real difference. I love it when I see my team of warriors turn up, we are a real handful for anyone on our day."
Mike Smith, of FC St Helens (FC St Helens 5-0 Squires Gate)
“It was a performance I was really pleased with. In recent weeks, we've not been at the levels I expect. We dropped our standards massively. I've asked a lot of questions of myself, my coaching staff and the players over the last week and everyone stepped up and came together to deliver that performance.
“We were dominant from the off, and we were relentless in everything we did. We used the conditions to our advantage in the first half and then managed them excellently in the second. Five different goalscorers and a clean sheet. A pleasing day all round.”
Ryan Hutchinson, of Prestwich Heys (Prestwich Heys 2-1 Longridge Town)
“As we all know, it’s been tough going! This is a win that’s been long overdue, but one I think we deserved on the day. We put in a gritty performance and the lads had to roll their sleeves up and really fight for the three points.
“I’m really pleased to get the win, and hopefully we can kick on from that now. We’re under no illusions – we know it’s going to difficult from now until the end of the season, but we’ll keep fighting until the very end. That’s for sure!”
First Division South:
Jon Beaumont, of Abbey Hulton United (Abbey Hulton United 4-1 Alsager Town)
“We played well on Saturday. It was a tough pitch to play on, it was wet under foot and very windy in the first 20 minutes. But we played the conditions well and managed to get an early goal and pushed on strongly throughout the first half.
“In the second half, we continued to press hard and controlled the game, and limited Alsager to minimal chances, but we did drop our standards near the end of the game and things went a little scrappy. But as a whole, I am very pleased with the players and our team's performance.”
Adam Bond, of Cheadle Heath Nomads (Cheadle Heath Nomads 6-2 New Mills)
“I feel like we edged the first 20 minutes, and we got in behind their back line on two or three occasions, but it took a bit of quality from Alex May to strike on the volley from outside the box to open the scoring. New Mills came back and had a spell where they broke twice on the counter to deservedly go in 2-1 up at half time.
“Half time was a chance for us to regroup, go back to basics - what we were doing in the first 20 minutes. We dominated the second half and got what we deserved. Another Alex May goal was our equaliser, Dan Lewis put us 3-2 ahead shortly after, and substitutes Edson Cata and Matty Sumner (2) put the game to bed.
Despite not on the scoresheet, Jack Ryan put in a Man of the Match performance, dictating everything we did in the middle of the park. I'm happy for the group. There have been many times this season where our performance hasn't reflected scorelines but on Saturday, they were ruthless, and it's been coming.”
