Mangy pleased with goal and important 3 points
Andy Mangan was delighted after Shrewsbury moved a step closer to safety with a 3-2 away win at Gillingham:
“It feels amazing. We need one more win but this is a long way to go to help us to be safe. It was a huge three points and the lads have grafted all afternoon. If I am honest I didn’t think the ref was excellent but we showed great mental qualities to pull through.
“It was a great game, it was frantic and I thought they got a few too many free kicks which was frustrating because I think we hardly had any so maybe the ref did favour the home side. For us to cope with that and get three goals away from home with the pressure we were under shows fantastic togetherness. We have showed the fighting spirit since I have been back. The lads have been great and there has always been a fantastic team spirit. Now we just have to keep it going and prepare for Tuesday and see where it takes us.”
The striker was impressed with his fellow forwards who created several chances:
“KaiKai scored a great goal and he did brilliantly to get in that position. I thought we caused them lots of problems on the break. Maybe once or twice we lacked finesse in the final pass but we created a lot of chances. Sullay was great and he can do that all day. I think he scored one and assisted one, the kid has fantastic ability and he has a great future in the game. This experience will do him good and he will probably be in the Premier League next year.
“Jean-Louis works really hard and doesn’t get the plaudits he deserves. He takes a lot of bangs up there especially when Kyle is playing too so it is an unforgiving position. Both of them have done fantastic and we have three games left and want to keep that going. Hopefully Jean-Louis and KaiKai can score another three goals.
“The ball came to me from a corner and I remember Ogogo had a great header to put it back across. I sort of semi over-headed the ball and I was happy with it, it was a poachers goal. I had a part to play in the third goal too so I was over the moon. I have had a problem with my heel, I took a bang against Port Vale so it has been hurting for a while. It has been getting better and today I have produced so I am happy.”
The 29-year-old is looking forward to the derby with Walsall but was keen to put it into perspective:
“The Walsall game will be no bigger than any other game. Whether you are at the top of the league or the bottom all games matter. A lot of the lads have experience in big games so you just have to give your all like we did today. I remember playing Walsall last year in the cup and we drew with them away and beat them at home so hopefully it can go like that again. I remember it feeling like a derby last year and it is a big game with our fans. We will go there and represent them the way they should be represented. With fight, desire, team spirit and professionalism and that is what we will do.
“Every game since I have arrived has been a big game because of our position. We have done really well in the second half of the season especially when we went on a nine game unbeaten run. We performed really well against Wigan and Millwall before having a man sent off. Against Bradford I thought we did well and against Sheffield United we did well so we have been lucky not to get results. Tuesday will take care of itself, it is a big derby so we will be prepared. We just need to keep winning. Like I said when I first came back I just want to leave where we left off last year which is winning. I think we have done well but results have not gone our way. But to score three goals away from home against a team vying for the play offs like we did today is a fantastic result.”
The former Fleetwood player paid tribute to the fans who he feels have been excellent to him:
“I can only thank the fans, they have been fantastic. They have seen us lose some games at home and they have kept with us. They are a great crowd to play in front of and I have a great relationship with them. On a personal level I just want to thank them. They could have been sceptical when I came back but they have been great with me and the lads. It means a lot to give them that result today, it is for them. We have a fantastic team spirit and we just want to carry it on and move forward and win the next game.”