Gaffer's thoughts after the home win over Chesterfield
Town welcoming high flying Chesterfield to the Greenhous Meadow looking to get their first Sky Bet League 1 goal and win under their belt.Micky Mellon was glad to get that first victory of the season as they defeated Chesterfield 2-1at the and he feels the side can push on now:
“It is important that we got the victory as quickly as possible. It sort of went the way I expected it to go. There was one team you could see looked like they had won three games and one that was desperate for that first victory. It creates a certain type of feeling for a footballer when you know you have to do whatever you have to do to get across the line and get the result. The win can get us going and we were well aware that we could kick start the season with a win.”
“I don’t care where the goals come from as long as they go in but when you score from a set piece it is always pleasing. There were a few things that pleased us today and things we will work on which is good. One thing that wasn’t up for question was the character from the players. That was there in abundance and it was needed.”
Mellon thought Ched Evans played well and was impressed with his defenders efforts to keep him off the scoresheet:
“Evans is a real handful. He has a real strike on him and our lads had their hands full all day and it was a good honest battle up there. You are looking at a lad who is playing below his level, he is certainly better than this level. He showed all his qualities today and it was a good test for our players to come up against that and I am sure they enjoyed it and they can feel pleased.”
The Scotsman was pleased with Shrewsbury’s character to battle back from going a goal down:
“We went a goal down and I thought that was a bit against the run of play but we did well to battle back and we are delighted with the victory. People will be surprised by Junior because he is brilliant in the air and Jacko has been working on getting him in those positions. We had a few corners before that and you could feel the pressure building on Chesterfield. The second one is a great delivery and if you put it in there the big man will be determined to get on the end of it. I think Adam has done the captains job there and put his big head right through it.”
The Town manager isn't afraid to change the formation of his side if needed and praised his players for their ability to change their defence from three players to four:
“Credit to the lads that they can go from a back three to a back four seamlessly and we will continue to do that because we believe that is the way to go. The only thing is in the second half we never quite got in between the lines when we did get that control from the centre backs. We have to get into positions when you can get people turned and fire these little passes into them and make another pass. We didn’t do that as well as the first half but maybe that was the environment we were in knowing we needed to get that winning goal.”
Moha El Ouriachi caught the eye with his exciting attacking display and Mellon believes the 20-year-old will improve as the season goes on:
“He is a real talent and that is why we worked so hard to get him here. A lot of people probably wondered who he was when he came here but we knew about him and knew he was the type of player we wanted to add to the group. He is going to get fitter and fitter. He got tired in the second half today but when he gets used to playing you can see what a fantastic player he is. It is great for the game to have people who can dribble like that. I think it is important that kids can come along and see people with that talent. He is worth paying money for.”
Shrewsbury’s next game is a trip to Sunderland on Wednesday night in the League Cup and the 44-year-old feels it is essential to enjoy the occasion:
“It is important that we enjoy Wednesday now. We are going to play at The Stadium of Light against a Premier League club so how good is that. Let’s get excited about that. Let’s not get complacent about playing in the big games because that is a magnificent stadium. To go up there and represent Shrewsbury will be a fantastic evening for us regardless of when it is in the draw. We will go there and try and give a good account of ourselves and enjoy the occasion. We are grateful to be in big games like that.”
James Eley