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JP
How do you feel about that? You have just heard the accolades there, a great win today?
GA
It was a fantastic win today and all credit to everybody connected. The players, obviously they deserve all the plaudits, they are out there doing the hard bit, but the fans got behind us.
Everybody connected with it, we asked for a big effort from everyone and there were no grumbles at all throughout the game from everybody who has seen an honest performance. In the end it was a really good performance and a vital three points to make sure we get away from the bottom end of the thing and can look forward. But a terrific day for the club and a fantastic result.
JP
By no means a one man performance or anything today but the presence of Jason Price upfront clearly had a big effect?
GA
Well we came on on Tuesday didn't we and said what we thought we needed. We know what we need, it is trying to find the right player at the right times and people letting us have him, thank you to Millwall and Kenny (Jackett) because he was brilliant after the game with us, it helped I think with them getting three points.
That was a big part of what we are trying to do and if we can get the ball into people like Jason and they can hold it up for us then we can play a lot of our football as high up the field as we can. It allows Matty Robson and (Kevan) Hurst to get good delivery and then we can get our midfield players supporting from behind and hopefully getting shots away on goal.
But I thought he led the line tremendously well, Matt Heath and (Magnus) Okuonghae are fantastic defenders at this level and really tough and strong and physical and he has battled away manfully and I think he has come out on top.
JP
It was a great debut, as players you don't get too many debuts like that for clubs do you, just everything seemed to go well for him. But he worked hard for it, it didn't just fall at his feet.
GA
Listen, sometimes things click with players at certain clubs, it clicked for Vincent (Pericard) and for Jason it didn't quite work for him at Oldham. It has worked for him at Doncaster, and not quite worked for him at Millwall. Dependent on how teams play and how styles of play fit in each different squad, but he looked like he fitted today for us.
He has enjoyed himself and I think he has put in a lot of effort for that game, he is 32/33 or whatever he is and he has given a youthful performance hasn't he in terms of energy and enthusiasm, and long may that continue.
JP
What do you feel about the reaction from your players first to the sending off and then to going a goal down? They never let it get on top of them today?
GA
Well, we said at half-time that the sending off might work in our favour because everybody, the crowd got together, everybody unites doesn't it. It was like my sending-off a couple of weeks ago, but the whole club comes together and the players rolled their sleeves up.
It was a really awful goal to give away where we were unlucky that the clearance has ricocheted against somebody and just dropped to their player. If that is the best they can do creating against us then we have to give ourselves a few plaudits for the way we have manfully battled and kept our goal very much intact to be fair.
JP
They didn't actually play quite as, they still played a lot, but it wasn't quite as over the top route one as it has been in the past for them. They tried to play a bit of football, did that actually play into your hands?
GA
Possibly, they made three changes so obviously we knew that the players they were bringing in weren't the physical, they could have played (Clive) Platt and (Kayode) Odejayi upfront and then they would have seriously gone big. But you have to compete with them, we competed with them in every department of the field today and that was the pleasing thing.
We didn't give stupid goals away, it was a mistake for the goal but it wasn't one that was soft, it was just one of those things that happens, a ricochet bounced straight to their lad (Platt). But apart from that we defended well, we have battled well, we have passed the ball when we can.
The pitch isn't perfect but we have passed it as much as we were possibly able to do on the day, but then we rolled our sleeves up and we found a fighting performance. Through honesty and determination we have got our rewards.
JP
Talking about reactions today, what about the reaction from Tuesday from your players?
GA
Well I didn't think we played particularly badly on Tuesday, we missed a Jason Price and a fit Scott Dobie and a fit Joe Anyinsah. If we had had our strikers, and Darryl Duffy as well, fit and playing at 100% then I think we might have caused Millwall more problems than we did do.
Today is proof of that, that obviously if you have got strikers there that can do their job and are proven and know what is going on then it gives you a much better chance of winning football matches.
JP
Good news, bad news, the day for Tom Taiwo ended in a way that the fans were immediately concerned that he would miss the trip to Wembley because that is important to them. But I am sure you are going to miss him at Southend now because he is suspended?
GA
Yeah, I think he gets two games, one for this sending off and one for the fact that he has been sent off this season already, we need to check that one out. But certainly we have got a game on Tuesday night haven't we, so there is the Yeovil game coming.
JP
I think he gets away with that one, I think it is the game after.
GA
No, I don't think he does. Listen, he is going to miss a game whatever, at least one and we will find out the rules if it is two. But Tom, that is inexperience for you, he has been booked for one, you can't tackle the way he did for the second one from behind.
He has got to just try to track back and get behind him as best he can but that is what we said about, we talked about that, about players. This is why they are still babies in terms of their footballing lives, so he will learn from that, he will be upset but he will dust himself down and he will battle away, that is the type of character he is.
JP
What about Tuesday night then? Up against Yeovil who just thrashed Hartlepool 4-0, I am sure the sort of score you would like to have got against Hartlepool, they are not going to be easy as you have already found out this season. But where they are in the table, right there with you, it is one that you will want to win?
GA
Well we want to win every game, obvious question. Let's hope they go out and celebrate tonight and think they have made it. I don't think there are any easy games but I think if we apply ourselves like we have done today on Tuesday night then we have a great chance of getting another result.
That is what we want, we want to go into Wembley with a hatful of points under our belt and today has been a massive three points. Because these are third in the table obviously for a reason, and we have beaten them, and that is fantastic news.
JP
And you have competed well twice with them now, your game just seems to match them, unlucky there but you have got the luck today?
GA
Well maybe what comes around goes around and we have got the result we needed. I thought we deserved it today and I thought we deserved something down there, but that is by the by. Today is what it is all about and we have got three points.
JP
Are you still hoping to do, you acknowledged that you are looking to bring another striker in, maybe one who could play in the Johnstone's Paint final, are you still hoping to do that maybe before Tuesday?
GA
We will keep trying, as with everything as I always say, we will keep trying to improve what we are doing and at the minute we are doing OK. There is room for improvement but we can't be too down with what we have achieved so far.
JP
And just finally, any injuries coming out of the game there? Kevan Hurst looked like he picked up a knock?
GA
He has got a sore knee but we will see how he is when we assess him tomorrow morning and Monday.
JP
As you know, anyone who might be back fit and available for you on Tuesday from the walking wounded?
GA
Possibly not at the minute but I will have a word with Dolly (Neil Dalton) tomorrow, but I think we are going to be with the same group that we have had today.