Nantwich Town boss Phil Parkinson says his side ‘came up trumps’ against Bradford Park Avenue, writes Liam Roe.
Parkinson described the squad he took to the Horsfall Stadium as ‘bare bones’ and with players being unavailable, first team coach Danny Griggs had to take a place on the bench.
However, the manager believes the team passed the test provided by their opponents with flying
colours as they earned a replay in the FA Trophy Second Round clash.
Parkinson said: “It was a big, big ask for us as a squad and I feel that we’ve been tested to
our limits and came up trumps.
“There’s been other performances in the season where you’re always going to look at yourselves and think we weren’t quite at it but I thought the players gave me everything.
“In terms of attitude, mentally and physically, they were superb and they had to be because they were playing a very good Bradford Park Avenue outfit who are doing well in their
league as well so we’ve got to take a lot from this.”
Parkinson praised goal scorer Josh Hancock after the game for his display, but claimed he wasn’t the only player that impressed him.
“There were some huge performances out there,” Parkinson explained.
“I’m going to have to mention Hancock in particular, I thought he was outstanding – he seems to
really come alive in the big games.
“But it’s unjust for me to just single him out because there were so many fantastic performances out there.”
The lack of first team players made way for two youth team players to grab a spot on the bench, and although they didn’t make it onto the pitch during the game, Parkinson states that the match was still a great experience for them.
“For them young lads on the bench watching they were probably chomping at the bit to get on, young Jordan Bennion and Troy Bourne.
“It’s just fantastic at the moment to give these boys this platform to play on and like I said, the boys are fantastic,” added Parkinson.
Despite concluding that his team played better than the hosts, Parkinson was disappointed overall not to win the clash.
Parkinson said: “I’m disappointed we didn’t get the win, I thought we did enough to win the game but they’re a very good team and we didn’t come here thinking it was going to be an
easy game and we were just going to come here and beat them.
“But I thought my players were the better team on the night and deserved to get the draw bare minimum.
“Every week my players turn out great performances with real true grit and determination.”
The replay at home is set for next Tuesday January 26.
And it will no doubt be in the back of Parkinson’s mind as his attention turns tomorrow’s
battle with league leaders Blyth Spartans.
“It’s a huge game.
“We’ll prepare correctly, we’ll just fine tune one or two things in training and just clear a few things up about what we maybe could have done slightly better, which wasn’t much, and hopefully be ready for Blyth.
“The game will have taken a lot out of my players and recovery is massive now.
“It’s about them being that little bit professional and making sure they look after themselves, that will be the key.”
Kick off tomorrow is 3pm.
It is also the Battle of Nantwich so fans are advised to arrive early as it will be busier then normal.
The club is asking supporters attending the match at the Weaver Stadium, who wish to get a car parking space at the ground to arrive early to ensure you get a spot.
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