Head Coach Mat Sadler was left feeling a little frustrated following Tuesday night’s narrow defeat against Shrewsbury Town in the Bristol Street Motors Trophy.
Despite going a goal ahead early on through Danny Johnson, the Saddlers found themselves walking away from the game empty handed as three goals from the home side secured them a 3-2 victory in the final group game at Croud Meadow.
“I am frustrated that we have lost the game to be honest with you,” said Sadler.
“It’s another game where we have had 24 shots. What I am frustrated with at the moment is that to adopt a winning mentality, the next thing you do has to be the right thing.
“If the ball goes out of play, the most important thing in the world has to be to get back into your shape.
“Quite clearly we can score goals, that hasn’t been a problem for the whole season but we need to stop conceding goals, it’s a big, big deal and it is winding me up.
“For me that comes from whatever that next thing is that you have to do, whether that be to not give a foul away, whether that be to stand up and defend properly, whether that be to get back into your slot as quickly as possible and defend the cross and whatever that next thing is is the most important thing to then create a winning mentality and create moments where as a team, collectively, everybody together, they are fighting to make sure it is a zero and a one.
“At the moment, for all of our brilliant play offensively, we are falling short in that way and that is my biggest frustration.”
The Head Coach named seven academy stars in the match day 18, including two graduates in Ronan Maher and Joe Foulkes who both started on the evening and he was pleased to be able to hand 16-year-old Dylan Thomas more first team minutes, insisting he has done everything right to earn his opportunity.
“Dylan Thomas deserves his chance,” Sadler continued.
“He has done everything he possibly can, he trains with us every day and he deserves his chance. I was delighted to get him 20 minutes on the night.
“There are some real stories around the game, of course there are, there are some good moments for the football club, mainly Dylan and the other young lads but I am just frustrated because we have got to come away from playing well and not winning.
“That’s not us, that’s not the team that we are, that’s not the team that I was us to reflect but like I keep saying, the next thing we do has to be the best thing we do.”
