Micky’s thoughts after the 0-0 pre-season draw with Kilmarnock
Town welcomed SPL side Kilmarnock to a blisteringly hot Greenhous Meadow for their latest pre-season game.
It was Town who made all the early running and created a number of creates chances in the first half but just couldn’t beat Samson in the Kilmarnock net.
In the second half the visitors stepped it up a little but the heat got the better of Town whose passing game wasn’t as incisive as it had been in the first half.
Overall a good showing by Town and another good workout on the road to the season kick-off against AFC Wimbledon.
After the game manager Micky Mellon spoke to the press to give his thoughts on the game:”It’s was a hot day and very hot out there on the pitch, I was pleased with the first half but in the second I felt a few of us wilted in the sun a little bit.
“Overall there was a lot to be pleased with but also a lot to still work on.
“There were people who needed time under their belts and we made sure that happened, and we will do the same again against Kidderminster on Tuesday night.
“We have to keep the ball better, especially in the early part of the second half but we changed things around then and brought Robbo, Aaron Wildig and Jordan Clark and that gave us the extra pass to try and make us play higher up the pitch.
“I felt in the first half we should have had a couple of goals to be fair, we had three, maybe four decent chances.
“In the second half it was a little laboured but the lads have had a tough week, I’m not going to make excuses for them as we need to keep the ball better.”
The clean sheet will give the side confidence as they continue their pre-season build-up and the second half changes that Micky made also had an impact on the Town play:”It’s always good to get clean sheets but it’s also about getting game time under your belts at this stage of pre-season.
“The conditions must have been unbelievably difficult so credit must go to both sets of footballers for being out there today.
“The lads who came on made a difference and it is pleasing that we have players we can use to change things around.”
There were a couple of injury concerns for Town with Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro going off in the first half and Liam Lawrence not making the matchday squad:”Jean-Louis has got a bit of a groin tweak so we will monitor him over the next 24 hours or so and will have a better idea after then.
“Liam has got tight quads so we erred on the side of caution a little bit and hopefully he will be involved in one of the games next week.”
The focus now moves to two away games next week with a trip to Kidderminster and then Altrincham, both games which the manager believes will be tough tests:”They will be tough games and that’s why we took them on, both Kidderminster and Altrincham are tough places to go whatever the time of the year.
“We know that we will have to be at our best to make sure we get something from both games.”