Manager Paul Cox has praised the battling spirit within our squad, following our 0-0 draw with Bury at Gigg Lane.
It was a night of mixed emotions for our team, as a hard-fought point and our seventh clean-sheet of the campaign came at a cost.
John Dempster received a straight red card for a foul on Shaun Harrad, whilst James Jennings picked up his fifth caution of the campaign.
Martin Riley also limped off with suspected Achilles damage, which resulted in Ritchie Sutton and Lee Beevers having to form a makeshift central defensive partnership.
Cox said: “It’s a point gained when you have a man sent-off so early in the second half and I can’t give enough credit to my boys for working hard.
“We’ve got to start being a bit more ruthless, but tonight, the boys’ heart and desire to get something out of this game was immense.
“It’s hard when you have 10 men and a side are battling away and putting you under severe pressure, so it’s a massive ‘pat on the back’ to the players and supporters.”
On Dempster’s red card, our boss continued: “I’ll have to look at it again [on the DVD], but it looked as though he won the full ball. It was hard, but fair.
“If John Dempster has gone through the player at knee height, then it’s fair enough. You would have no complaints by me.
“But I thought he made full contact with the ball and not with the player. We’ll be looking to appeal the red card.”
Cox also had kind words for youngster Jack Blake, who made a fine debut in central midfield.
He added: “I thought he was excellent. For a boy of such a young age, I thought in the first half, some of the passing moves that came through him were immense.
“The kid is going to have a good future if he carries that mindset with him.”
