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JP
You must be absolutely delighted with that I am sure, how do you feel about the performance?
GA
We are happy, we think we have done a lot of things right in the game today. We certainly passed the ball at times like we want to pass it. We defended very well, we got the all important clean sheet and we probably got the all important opening day victory. Which builds a lot of optimism and encouragement for what is a really tough eight months ahead.
JP
Do you feel you won a good managerial battle today? Because it seemed that Brentford weren't prepared for you in the first 25 minutes or so.
GA
I would think the players deserve all the plaudits. They go out on the pitch, they have to do what we are asking them to do. They have to make tackles, make passes, make goals and save goals and I think they did it in abundance. Last week we were talking about Adam Collin being a tad fortunate maybe to get away with his mistake, I thought he never put a foot wrong today, outstanding in the little bit he had to do.
Did I win a battle of tactics? I don't know, let's just talk about our players and how well they did, and I thought they really were excellent at times. To be fair, the system or the style we tried to play undoubtedly worked.
JP
And you started with Gary Madine and Craig Curran upfront, both of them very much involved. Gary Madine could easily have been the man of the match, it eventually went to Paul Thirlwell and quite right too. But, Madine got a goal, Curran earned you the penalty, you have got to be happy with that from your strikeforce?
GA
Yeah, without singling anybody out today I thought everybody, everybody, contributed a heck of a lot. I thought Frankie Simek at right-back was absolutely outstanding as well and James (Chester) and Hartey (Ian Harte) at the centre of the defence did very well.
But, I think your key is how much trouble the frontmen caused the Brentford defence. Craig Curran to be fair could have had a couple of goals as well which would have put him in the man of the match vein. Gary got his goal and certainly had a shout for that as well.
So, just absolutely delighted, I thought the midfield four worked tirelessly, Francois (Zoko) has a little bit to do on his fitness levels, but he will pick that up. The pace of the English game is different, it is not the fact that he is not fit, it is the pace of the English game, he is not used to that and he has come off and he is absolutely shattered.
He is singing in there on his own, nobody knows what he is up to but we still thought he was doing the warm-down at the end because he likes a warm-down and a bit of applause, so he is a good guy to have around.
JP
It was fantastic when he came off, a standing ovation, a roar from the crowd and then a chorus of his surname, even in spite of the language barrier he must have realised that that means that the crowd have taken to him?
GA
Don't kid yourself, he knows enough English to get himself by, you know what I mean, he knows how to say pay rise, he is brilliant.
JP
I am sure he won't be demanding that just yet, what were the things as a manager that you were most happy about with the display today then? Aside from the fact that you won the game, which I know will always be the big thing, but what were you most happy about having worked hard through pre-season?
GA
I think the way we defended to be fair, the way we defended, I thought we defended ever so well, and then the way we passed the ball. The biggest joy for me today I think was that the crowd were enthused as well with the way we played and the way we tried to play.
You know how important that is to us as well at the club because we want people through the gates, we want them to share the encouragement that we have got going at the minute. I think they are going to go away today, and we talked about going away excited or pleased or whatever, it wasn't a blisteringly outstanding performance but it was some very, very good stuff.
I don't think a third goal would have been unfair or unjust in the situation. But, we are really pleased with a lot of things today, and certainly the amount of trouble that the front two caused was great. It allowed us to get high up the field and pass the ball in better areas than we have been doing in the past. A lot of things worked today and it is encouraging for us to go into the tough slog ahead.
JP
And you talk about the excitement factor, stats can be the bane of a manager but a clean sheet, two goals and you struck the woodwork three times, that alone shows that it was a good performance.
GA
We thought that we were a bit unfortunate, I think that James Berrett's shot at the end would have been the icing on the cake. I thought that it was a fantastic move and a terrific shot and I don't think it would have flattered us.
That is really nice, a 3-0 scoreline is probably the nice scoreline that you get as a manager, that you have defended very well and you have scored goals and you have won the game reasonably comfortably.
But, we will settle for 2-0 all day long on the opening day, which is a really good Brentford side to be fair with a lot of good players. They have brought another couple of very, very good strikers in this week so it just shows you that we are doing OK.
JP
They made a lot of changes to their squad like yourself, but would it be fair to say that you had somehow, it is down to the good work of you and your coaching staff, bedded yours in a touch better? They looked to know each others roles more at times than Brentford.
GA
Certainly on the day I thought we looked the better side, but we have to be talking about that over 46 games, who has got it right and who hasn't got it right. But, we are certainly pleased with what we did today and we look forward to again a bit more improvement and a bit more encouragement for everybody.
JP
Impressive opening day stuff, and a quick turnaround for Tuesday night?
GA
Yeah, that is right, Huddersfield have got probably the biggest, strongest squad now in the division, and they have gone to Notts County and absolutely battered them I think 3-0. So, we don't expect an easy task on Tuesday, so we have to be up for it and play probably better than we have today even.
JP
How do you look to approach that one then?
GA
Well, I have got to digest this one but on the way home I will have a think about that and how we are going to do things. But, certainly more of today's performance and energy and effort would be the order of the day I think.
JP
Any nicks and knocks picked up from this game, (Sean) McDaid seemed to come in for quite a few hefty tackles?
GA
Yeah, he is a tough little kid and he is as honest as the day is long. He has had a battle there against two 6'2 right-siders (Michael Spillane and Robbie Simpson) but I think he has come out on top in the end, but he is fine, he is OK.
JP
And just finally, how are you feeling afterwards in comparison to the opening day last year?
GA
I don't think I need to answer that do I? Probably a million times better and hopefully the other managers have their headaches over the weekend and I am OK this one.