Paul Thirlwell on the Boreham Wood game
Club captain Paul Thirlwell spoke to us on Saturday afternoon following the FA Cup first round game against Boreham Wood.
"The first round of the FA Cup is never easy," he admitted. "They have everything to gain and we have everything to lose in a game like this, and that was how it turned out. We huffed and puffed in the second half without having that killer instinct but, at the end of the day, we just had to make sure we were still in the hat."
"The longer the game went on without a goal the more confident they got," he continued. "We've had it ourselves in the Capital One Cup where we have beaten so called bigger teams because that's what can happen in a cup game. It is frustrating but I think in times gone by we might actually have lost this type of game."
"It did feel like we were in control throughout and we had the majority of the ball," he told us. "They were a threat on corners and set pieces, because they had some big lads, and we knew if they nicked one it would be difficult for us to get back into it. We felt comfortable defensively but it was disappointing that we didn't manage to get the goal.
"I've been on both sides of the coin in situations like this and you do always seem to raise your game when you're the underdog. We were the side that should have won today but that is the magic of the FA Cup."
"Like I've said, the important thing is that we're still in the hat," he told us. "We'll play them again next Tuesday and I'm sure they'll come up here with a similar attitude as they've had today. They'll try and get men behind the ball and stop us playing but it will be up to us to win the game."
"Obviously we now go again in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy on Wednesday night," he said. "That's a great competition and we've all seen just how good it can be in recent seasons. It would be nice to have another good run at it but Fleetwood are flying at the top of their division. They'll be confident and it's one where we will have to go there and be at our best. It's a game to look forward to but it's one where we have to make sure we do it properly from the first whistle. Hopefully that will be the case."
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