Midfielder on the Doncaster win
Midfielder and proud dad (again) Paul Thirlwell gave us his thoughts on the 2-0 away victory over Doncaster at the Keepmoat stadium on Tuesday night.
“It was an excellent result for us,” he said. “From start to finish we played to our game plan and we knew we were coming up against some very big lads.
“We dealt with what they had to offer really well and we played some good football ourselves. We were a little bit fortunate with the first goal but Nobsa [Liam Noble] scored an outstanding second. Like I say, from top to bottom I thought we played really well.”
“The performances we’ve had recently mean everything to the dressing room,” he continued. “It’s been a tough season and we’ve had our critics, but that’s deservedly so. We’ve now played some fantastic football and maybe this is a time to give the lads a pat on the back.
“I think every game is about hard work when it comes down to it. We played them at their own game and we picked up their long balls as well as making sure we dealt with the second balls. We stood up to the test and we know that we have players in the team who can create and score goals when we’re doing that.”
“The clean sheet is great for us all,” he admitted. “We defend from the front and that helps the lads at the back. Behind that, Mark Gillespie is getting better every game and they deserved it.
“They came at us again at the start of the second half but we expected that. They changed things round a bit and we reacted to that, and the lads who came on did their jobs as well. It’s one where everybody has played their part.”
“The gaffer challenged us to finish the season off properly and we’re doing that,” he said. “The situation we were in wasn’t ideal but it was never because there was a lack of hard work. Sometimes you get bad runs, and we’ve certainly had that. We’ve stuck together and I think we’ve come out of the other side stronger for it.
“Nobody wants doom and gloom or negativity all the time and the good thing is that the fans have stuck with us through this tough period. I’m sure the away fans who were here have had a fantastic time and we want as much of that as we can.”
“This result has been the icing on the cake because my new son was born at 9.32 on Sunday night, to be exact about it,” he told us. “It’s a busy time but it’s fantastic for my wife, for me and for my family.
“Fortunately I was there to see the birth because we weren’t over in Carlisle for any training sessions, or anything like that. It was wonderful to be there at the right time and it really has just been a great couple of days.”
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