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Interviews

Pre Plymouth | Steve Cotterill

24 October 2022

Manager Steve Cotterill met with the media ahead of our League One clash at Plymouth tomorrow.

Town travel to Home Park having impressed on the road this season - with Salop having won three and drawn two of their seven away fixtures so far.

Speaking ahead of the game against the league leaders, the gaffer reflected on Saturday's clash against Charlton.

He also spoke about Tom Bloxham and his impressive cameo against the Addicks whilst also giving an update on Dan Udoh and George Nurse as they continue their rehabilitation from anterior cruciate ligament injuries.

ON THE CHARLTON GAME: 

"We didn’t deserve to get beat but we didn’t deserve to win the game either. I think we created enough chances but there are certainly things we could have done better. 

"I definitely think, with the chances we created, there was an equaliser in there. So while I don’t think we deserved to win the game, I don’t think we deserved to get beat either."

ON A BIG WEEK AHEAD WITH GAMES AT PLYMOUTH AND PORTSMOUTH: 

"It's two big games. We’ve got the Plymouth one to look forward to first – they are at the top of the table and Steven (Schumacher) has done a very good job with them since he has taken over. 

"They are at the top of the table because they deserve to be there. 

"No matter who we are playing – whether they are top of the table or bottom of the table – we always give them respect. 

"We know we have to go down there and play better than we did in the first half on Saturday."

ON PLYMOUTH'S GOOD FORM:

"It's no surprise. One thing they have done – they have invested in their squad this year. 

"I would imagine their budget has gone up a little bit over the last 18 months, they are a big club and always have been. 

"I played against Plymouth when I was in charge of Burnley in the Championship. 

"They travel really, really, well and they have always got a really vocal backing at home. They are a big club. 

"People don’t realise how big a club they are. But if you are from the West Country – which I am – I know that."

ON OUR STRONG AWAY FORM: 

"We take encouragement from that. Our form over the season has been pretty good. 

"We have had moments. It’s how you deal with those moments and how you bounce back from them. 

"We have pretty much done that this season – when there has been a defeat we have bounced back and that is what we have to do again tomorrow." 

ON SQUAD AVAILABILITY: 

"The only one is Julien Dacosta, we just need to look at how he trains today when it comes to his availability.  Other than that we are as we were from the weekend."

ON TOM BLOXHAM: 

"I was encouraged by his cameo on Saturday. The reason he hasn’t had as many minutes this year, it’s simply because he hasn’t been as good as he was last year – no more than that. 

"In training, the games that we have had. I think the three Papa John’s games, he didn’t do enough in those games – and neither did others when they had that opportunity. 

"I think a lot of Tom which is why we offered him a long contract. But this can happen, all of a sudden a young player can burst onto the scene – and in their second year they don’t do anything. 

"We just hope he can come to the party a little bit more because it will give me another option. 

"The bottom line is he hasn’t done well enough this year. That is how it is. It doesn’t matter if he is 17 or 18, I picked him last year when he was 17. 

"But the fact he’s now 18, that doesn’t make him a better player than when he was 17. 

"I mentioned this to him when we came back (for pre-season). I was hoping to see a better player when he came back for pre-season but I didn’t see it. 

"I didn’t see it in the Papa John’s games and sometimes that can happen. But it’s not just Tom, I could be talking about others.

"It's what you see on a day-to-day basis. And what you see when they get the opportunity. 

"We have got more strikers this year. But none of them have really nailed down who the main man is going to be and who is going to play with them. We have not quite nailed that down yet. That is up to them. 

"I like them all, whoever is going to do the best will play. It’s whoever trains the best and will play the best. 

"I think Tom has had a couple of moments this year, when you are a young man things happen to you in your (private) life. 

"I think there are a couple of things that have gone on off the field with Tom that have wobbled him a little bit. But that can happen to a young man and that is something we try and keep in-house."

ON HAVING COMPETITION FOR PLACES:

"You want competition for places. What we didn’t want was the injuries we have had to contend with because we would have had even more competition for places. 

"When you think about the two lads we are missing – that's the best part of 100 games we had out of them last year. 

"We had 17 goals out of Daniel Udoh. George Nurse is a young player, left-sided. All of sudden, it leaves you a little bit short. And if you have to make changes, you have to make two or three changes. 

"Thankfully, we have got that within the squad. But it’s difficult to get around losing those two guys."

ON HOW DAN AND GEORGE ARE:

"George will be going in this week (for surgery) so it’s a big week for George.

"Dan is coming along well. He's off his crutches, he is quite mobile. He's got a little bit of a limp and will have that for a while. 

"But everything seems to be going according to plan with Dan Udoh.  

"I think George probably can’t wait for the surgery now. It’s felt like a long time, that ligament of his has been broken for three or four weeks. 

"It's a long time. But the benefits, in the long run, are huge when it comes to their rehab."Generic-Web-Banner-Home-22-23.jpg


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