Head Coach Mark Hughes spoke to CUTV following the Blues' 4-2 win over Forest Green Rovers at Brunton Park.
Here is everything we learnt:
- Outstanding from start to finish
“I thought we were excellent tonight, a fantastic crowd as well, that was really important for us tonight and yeah, really pleased with what we’ve produced.”
- Belief and bravery before kick-off
“Before the game, we spoke about the crowd and the occasion, and the message was just to go out and enjoy it. We’re a good team, we’re playing well, we’ve got a lot of confidence, and we’ve got a lot of threat as well.”
- Link-up play that makes the difference
“It’s really important that we get them into good areas – Chris Con-Clarke and Regan Linney – and once they’re running at back fours at this level, then it’s going to cause opposition teams real problems, and everybody knows that.”
- Feeding off the energy all around
“You get energy from all angles. You get energy from the opposition because you think, right, I’ve got the makings of beating this guy I’m in opposition to, so you get energy from the crowd clearly, and you get energy from your teammates, how they’re performing around you.”
- Substitutes making their mark
“Jack Ellis coming off the bench, Harvey Macadam scoring the goal, our third, and then JJ (Jordan Jones) as well looked really good down that side. I thought all three of them came on to real good effect.”
- Keeping calm on the touchline
“For a number of years, when I was manager, the best thing to do was just ignore him (Robbie Savage), and that’s what I did for quite a few years if I’m honest.”
- Macadam’s power on full display
“We see him in training do that time and time again, he’s got such power when he comes onto balls and he’s just got that ability to put real power through the ball.”
- Stronger together, on and off the pitch
“When the referee blew the final whistle, you could see how much that meant to the lads and to the supporters in the stands. That connection is just getting stronger and stronger.”
- Moments that make it worthwhile
“Saturday games, that’s what I do this job for, it’s moments like that. When you’re engaging, when you get a good win that’s home in front of a bumper crowd, yeah, it’s everything that I want from football.”
- Experience under the spotlight
“Over the years I’ve been in front of lots of cameras, so that doesn’t really affect my emotions on the day.”
- Resilient, relentless, and ready for more
“We don’t look like we’re going to be denied in games. Even if we have setbacks, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and go again. That’s the sign of a good team and a good group.”
Watch the full interview on CUTV HERE!
