Following a gritty performance and a valuable three points on the road, Mark Hughes gave us his thoughts on the 1–0 win over Scunthorpe.
Speaking to CUTV, he said: “Towards the end, they threw everything at us. You know balls are going to come into your box, and you can’t keep every one of them out — but for the most part, we dealt with everything they had. I thought it was a really battling performance. We’re going to have a lot of these types of games ahead of us. It’s good that we’re showing we can adapt — we can get the ball down and play, but we can also stand up to the physical battle when we need to. That’s exactly what we had to do today.”
The pitch at Glanford Park presented its own challenges, but Hughes felt his side got their approach spot on from the first whistle. “It was a bit soft and cutting up at times, so we knew it wasn’t going to be a free-flowing kind of game. They’re strong, they get after you, they fight for second balls. We matched that — and that was key to coming away with the points.”
The manager praised his squad’s togetherness, highlighting the collective effort across the pitch in keeping a clean sheet and seeing the game out. “Defensively, we were excellent. Georgie was back there in our own box, heading it away, clearing danger — that’s what you’ve got to have. Guys working exceptionally hard for each other. The two centre-halves really set the tone. Teams don’t come here and win often. We’re one of very few to do it, so that tells you how tough it was. We came through it really strongly — and we’re delighted with the result.”
Aaron Hayden returned to the starting XI and proved to be the match-winner, heading home the decisive goal in the first half. “He had a chance just before that, which he was unlucky with — his shirt was nearly pulled off his back — but he wasn’t going to be denied. He was excellent today. He did everything we expect of him at both ends of the pitch.”
There were some heated moments late in the first half, but Hughes was pleased with how his players responded and stayed composed. “I wasn’t happy with some of the challenges — particularly the elbow on Junior, which could’ve been even more dangerous. Credit to Georgie — the centre-halves actually came and apologised afterwards, so it’s one of those things. The referee seemed to be quick to book our lads, which was a concern, but we spoke at half-time about staying disciplined. Going down to 10 men would’ve given them a way back, and we couldn’t allow that. We kept our focus and saw the game through.”
With the FA Cup on the horizon, Hughes acknowledged the importance of maintaining momentum heading into a busy run of fixtures. “We’re getting good results because we’re working exceptionally hard. It’s still early days, but we’ve got a decent total — we’ve just got to keep adding to that. Forest Green at home is another big test, but one we’ll look forward to.”
Nearly 700 fans made the trip to support the Blues — something the boss was keen to highlight. “We had to keep going right until the end, and it would’ve been great to score that late chance in front of them. But I’m sure they’re pleased with the result and the shift the lads put in. Their support really pushed us through.”
Hughes’ message to his players post-match was one of pride — but also a reminder of the standards required moving forward. “We’ve got to be able to do both sides of the game. At home, we’ll pass and move and get the ball down, but today wasn’t that kind of match. We had to dig deep and show a different side — and we did that really well.”
