More To Come Says Slade!

By: Bill Osborne
Date: 30/01/2005

TOWN boss Russell Slade told Mariners Net that he believes there is still more to come from Michael Reddy despite a fantastic display on Friday which he capped with two magnificent goals.

"He didn't have the pre-season that the others had. He's still learning his trade and he's getting better. He's now prepared to learn and improve, and he's becoming a better player week in, week out. I'm sure there is a lot more to come from Michael."

"I was immensely disappointed with the defending for both their goals, I thought they were soft goals that we gave away," he said.

"But we were always a threat when we went forward and Michael Reddy was just in tremendous form. His pace was a threat and he played with a confidence and a real purpose. He took his goals magnificently.

"To score three goals away from home you expect to win but at times we made hard work of it."

John Ward, Cheltenham's manager, expressed his disappointment telling his official website;

"Shane Higgs has made mistakes in the last couple of games, which is totally unlike him, but he has been left a little bit exposed as well. Our defending as a team was poor tonight when it's been the strength throughout the season. I thought the two Grimsby strikers bossed our two centre halve. Caines and Duff were excellent last week and because of the youth and experience - Higgsy is 26 but he hasn't played a lot of League football - and sometimes they have to learn the football game a bit more. The effort and endeavour is always there but we're just disappointed that our regular strength of defending as a group has not been there tonight."

"We had to open up and go three up front at 2-1 down. Then we got to 2-2 and I was taking a chance with three up front and leaving the midfield open. We weren't decisive enough with that so we asked Kay to play wide right and went back to 4-4-2 and asked them to win the game with that shape. We still weren't playing well enough to open the game right up and go hell bent for the winner. But points are important and right now I would rather have had one than none."

"Steven Gillespie could have won it for us and when you see him get through on his left foot you expect the net to bulge. But I cannot place anything against him because when we concede three at home - which is totally unlike us - then we are going to find it hard. Two goals at home should give us something from a game of football."

"We started very slowly and could have been one down in the first minute. This is something we have been doing and we have to be better at that. It was a scruffy game going into half-time and I would have taken a scruffy win at that point. But we didn't defend well and obviously all goals are avoidable but the ones we conceded tonight were poor goals from us."

"I'm very disappointed and I care deeply and so do my players. We want to win and we've been very positive in going for it and trying to do things better. As I say, the youth and naivety sometimes comes into play and perhaps Grimsby were a little bit more streetwise at times than us and we have to learn quicker and better. I'll stick with my players and defend them to the hilt but I want them to win and I want them to know how to win. I thought tonight we probably didn't know how to do that well enough."

"The players will look forward to the next game and we will go into the next game as positive as we have been in the last three, certainly. We'll make sure that we go to Chester as strong and as positive as we can be and if we can put anything in this result behind us we'll look to do that on Tuesday. Our players are human and they make mistakes. They stand and fall by them as we all do and we've got another chance on Tuesday to stand up and be counted. I know my players will do that and so will I as the manager."

"As I said, my two centre backs found life hard tonight but they were my best two players last week. That is life as a 21-year old centre-back and I have to be patient with that because they are the only two centre-backs I've got fit and available. I don't mind that because they are smashing lads who will work as hard as they can. Maybe on Tuesday they'll be the best players again because sometimes that's how life is at that age."

"It's a very difficult position to play and be consistent week in, week out. Steven Gillespie has missed chances tonight but nobody blames him because he's a 19-year old striker. If two 21-year old centre-halves make mistakes everyone sees it and that's why it's a very responsible position. They work extremely hard and Caines and Duff are going to be excellent players - no doubt in my mind about that. They will be excellent players for Cheltenham Town and they may well be excellent players on Tuesday night because that's the kind of people they are."

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