Manager Paul Cox had mixed emotions following today’s hard-fought 0-0 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge.
Our side produced a gritty defensive display to keep out the Daggers, who when they did catch sight of the target, were denied by the superb Alan Marriott.
However, we also had chances to snatch maximum points as Sam Clucas twice went close midway through the first half, whilst Ritchie Sutton nearly bagged his first career goal.
The draw leaves us occupying 20th position in Sky Bet League Two, level on 39 points with four other teams.
“We’ve got to be kicking ourselves with some of the chances that we had in the first half, but having said that, Alan (Marriott) pulled off some good saves near the end,” said Cox.
“I’ve said to the boys that we need to be more ruthless in the last third. It was very open in the last 20 minutes, but a draw was probably a fair result.”
He continued: “I think the boys had a point to prove, because without going overboard, we let ourselves down on Tuesday and got what we deserved.
“But today I thought that, especially in the first half, we had chances that you’ve got to score.
“The header from Ritchie Sutton when he was about seven yards out with the goal at his mercy, but heads it wide – these are the chances that you’ve got to take.
“I think the stats show that the majority of teams that score first usually go on to win the game.
“It was a more open second half and we threw caution to the wind to try and go for it and win, which left us open at the back and called Alan into a few good saves, but overall it’s a point for both sides.”
Our manager also had praise for the 172 Stags’ supporters who made the trip to the London Borough of Barking & Dagenham Stadium for this afternoon’s match.
“These boys are running though a brick wall for this club and what pleased me more than anything today was we came off the pitch to see our supporters clapping us off,” said Cox.
“It made me smile and it’s a real positive that we’ve travelled all this way and they’ve stuck by us throughout the 90 minutes.”
Looking ahead, Cox added: “We want to look upwards, not downwards, and we want a positive end to our season and to finish as high as possible.
“To do that, the club needs to stick together. The fans were brilliant again today, the boys worked extremely hard, and we’ve got a good week now to heel those achy knocks that you pick up.”
