MANAGER: There for us from the minute we arrived

There were a few no-shows on Saturday afternoon at the Peninsula Stadium meaning that the 1,315 away fans recorded was 51 short of the 1,366 allocation that had been sold.

But that made absolutely no difference whatsoever as those in attendance set about supporting their team with a wall of noise and some excellent celebrations as the goals and points rained in.

“We haven’t always performed in front of a big crowd as a football club, but in the majority of this second time of mine here we have given them something to shout about when they’ve come to watch us in bug numbers,” manager Paul Simpson said.

“Let’s be right about it, they were there for us from the minute they arrived. Even when I was watching our players warming up, they were the only ones making the noise.

“We heard the Salford fans a little bit in the second half when they had a spell, but I asked the players to put on a performance that made sure our fans were still shouting at the end, and they certainly did that.

"It was incredible support. They were absolutely magnificent. They all had smiles on their faces as we went over to them.

“That wall of noise, it really helps the players when they’ve got that behind them. Going back to the dark ages, when I played, I can remember what a difference it made when we had support like that behind us.

“The players responded to the support in the way they went about it, and what a big win that is for us. I’m sure it was a great journey home for everyone.

“When I found out on Thursday that we’d sold that amount of tickets I knew it could be a good day. I told the players to visualise what would happen at the end of the game if we did it right, and it all worked. What a great finish to the afternoon it was.

“I’m delighted that we were able to celebrate together, and I hope we have many more afternoons like it.”

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