Swindon boss David Flitcroft salutes hard-fought victory at Stevenage - 7M sport

Swindon boss David Flitcroft salutes hard-fought victory at Stevenage



Posted Wednesday, January 31, 2018 by PA

Swindon boss David Flitcroft salutes hard-fought victory at Stevenage

Swindon manager David Flitcroft was delighted to see his side grind out victory as the Robins edged Stevenage in a 1-0 away victory to move up to sixth in League Two.

In complete contrast to Swindon’s dramatic 4-3 win over Crewe on Saturday, the contest at the Lamex Stadium was mostly bereft of chances with Ollie Banks’ first-half header proving enough.

It allowed the visitors to pick up their 10th away league win of the season, the best record in the division, and closed the gap to within one point of third-placed Notts County.

Flitcroft said: “You can’t come to Stevenage with a group of kids and not grind a game out.

“I wasn’t expecting to come here and play a pure football match – it’s a wet Tuesday night and I don’t think they’ve been beaten here for quite a few months, so it was always going to be a difficult encounter.

“It was a case of everyone doing their job and we had some top performances throughout the team.

“The lads ran for each other, it was a real galvanised performance, so I was delighted after Saturday’s result and the emotion of it to rock up here for an away game and be so competent.

“Reice [Charles-Cook] hasn’t had to make a dive and has only had one save to make, so it was an absolute well-deserved win.

“The lads deserve a lot of credit for that win, not just as a team but as a squad.”

The game’s decisive moment came in the 16th minute when Banks made the most of some slack marking to head in Matt Taylor’s corner off the underside of the bar.

Banks sent a long-range free kick narrowly over on the stoke of half-time, with Jamie Gray coming the closest for Stevenage with a curling shot which went just wide.

Stevenage manager Darren Sarll said: “I thought it was an awful, awful football match and even with a budget three times the size of ours, I don’t think Swindon were very good.

“I don’t think we were beaten by a better team, we were beaten by a set play in what was an awful, awful League Two encounter.

“Losing another two senior players in 42 minutes meant our reserves were tested to the absolute maximum.

“The biggest disappointment was that the players that had an opportunity to go and stick their best foot forward but didn’t.

“Those offensive players, who had an opportunity whenever the ball was momentarily on the grass, didn’t conjure or create or even show a creative bone within them to try and create.

“Our decision-making was safe.

“It just became a difficult evening where we struggled to create any sort of forward play, but they’re young players playing against big, experienced men.”

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