Manager Delighted With 'Massive' Victory
Micky confirmed after the game that defender Zak Whitbread had to be substituted off with a hamstring problem and will be assessed over the next 24 hours.
“We try and turn in performances for them all the time and build a team that represents the Town really well and fights hard for them and give them good weekends and good Tuesday nights and Wednesdays. They were a massive part in getting us over the line here today."
“We know how good they are. I keep saying I’m not surprised when I see that many of them here and that’s a great compliment to them.
“The fans were brilliant,” he added.
And as the sun shone down in South Yorkshire, Micky had one more mention.
“That’s the value of needing a squad. We needed them today. We needed the energy and enthusiasm from the bench today. We knew we were going to use 14 players today and young Dom has come in and done a terrific job but that’s no surprise to me, he’s well capable of that.”
“You know what you get from Natty; heart, desire, commitment and a determined to defend well. He’s a good leader in the group and I thought he was fantastic today.
And there was high praise for Captain Nathaniel Knight-Percival and young Dom Smith.
“Everything that went into the box – they got first contacts on. Anything on the edge of the box – they got blocks in. We’re delighted with their performance and they are a big part of why we went in at half-time 0-0.”
“It’s always good to get clean sheets but I felt in the first-half my two whole back four were terrific,” admitted Micky.
Today’s result owed much to the solid defensive display showed by the Town back four and Micky was keen to praise a defence that has kept four clean sheets in the last five games.
“It’s been a tough spell and as you can see today we’re getting niggles all over the place. Fatigue injuries which will tell you it’s that time of the season with the amount of games we’re playing.”
“But the second half we went out there and did everything we knew that we had to do and we got ourselves going again.
“I felt that we never won enough headers or knock downs or get enough control like the game was asking us,” said Micky, when asked about the first-half performance.
In a testing time of the season, Micky felt his side needed to improve on their first-half display, which saw Jayson Leutwiler make several saves and, along with the back four, ensured Town were level at the break.
“They fought hard and fought for the knock downs. Perhaps not in the first-half but we had a chat at half-time and we were pretty much first to everything in the second half.”
“I just said to the players be brilliant at the questions you get asked today and make sure you answer them positively and they did today.
“I wasn’t shocked. I think if I wrote it down in an envelope and opened it now it would have been exactly how I thought the game would go. This is what you get at this time of the season. I continually keep saying that and it’s no surprise to me.
Town were very much on the back foot during the opening 45 with Doncaster putting the back four under some intense pressure. But after holding their own, Town went on to have the better of the second half and Micky admits that the game panned out to how he thought it would.
“It’s a vital goal. It’s a massive three points and they’re the huge positives to go home with.”
“It’s a massive victory, another clean sheet and the lads, with the questions they get asked again from the game that we’ve just taken part in, have answered them terrifically well and we’ve come away with a really valuable three points,” said Micky.
A second-half Shaun Whalley goal, which went straight in from a corner, was enough to give Town the vital three points that their grit and determination warranted.
Shrewsbury Town boss Micky Mellon claims Saturday’s win at Doncaster is a ‘massive’ victory.