Bury won 2-0 over Cheadle Town in the penultimate game of the season, Manager Dave McNabb spoke to the club to give us his thoughts.
Dave McNabb: “It was a tough game, wasn’t it? I think obviously when you get to this stage of the season and the weather we’ve had over the last few weeks, the pitch is tough, it’s bobbly, it’s being prepared fairly well, I think they’ve worked night and day on it to try and get it the best they can, but it’s just not very conducive to playing the type of football that we wanted to play. And Cheadle, to be fair, I think they’re another side that does try to play, but it just made it a little bit more scrappy than we’d have liked. There are too many transitions, too many turnovers, but if you want to try and get promotions, then you’ve got to go out and do things when things get tough, and we’ve proved that today. I think they’ve probably had one shot on goal where they looked dangerous, so defensively we’ve been absolutely outstanding. We’re always going to criticise, because we want the best from the lads, so we’re always going to criticise the lack of control we had with the ball, but out of possession I thought we were outstanding, and like I said, they never caused us any problems. Decent Cheadle side, good Cheadle side, they were set up in a way that was tactically really strong, so overall really pleased. The noise in the fans, I’m sure you would have probably come on to it, but that today, that’s not Northwest Counties it’s not. If you can’t stand in front of that and just enjoy it, then you’re in the wrong sport.”
He then spoke about his unchanged eleven from the side that beat Padiham last week at Gigg Lane, with him saying “I think it was just deserved. Arguably the best performance of the season last week, tough circumstances, going into the game obviously on paper, playing another playoff team. I thought the lads were fantastic and they deserved a start. You’ve got players like Rusty [Stepans] coming back available, you’ve got players on the bench knocking on the door, Lewis [Byrne] has been fantastic, but that’s part and parcel of being a squad. When you perform like that, you expect to keep your shirt and it’s only fair that the lads did.”
He then added onto this by giving us and update on Reuben Jerome, he said “No, not at all. I think, again, it’s just getting really difficult now to pick a squad. Obviously, we picked up a couple of little niggles and knocks today, but it was just making sure that we had cover in every position. You’ve always got to try and plan for the worst-case scenario, a defender getting injured, a wing-back, whatever else. I think it was just making sure we had cover in all areas and, like I said, we’ll assess next week based on next week’s merits and how people train, so there’s no guarantee that the squad will stay the same.”
Dave then gave an update on both Cam Fogerty and Connor Pye with him saying “We’ll assess it in the week. I think Cam’s shoulders just popped out a little bit, probably one that will probably take two to three weeks in ordinary circumstances. Obviously, with it being the last game, it’s probably going to be a case of strap it up and carry on. Connor, a touch of cramp. He’s 21 years old and getting cramp, I’m not too sure I’m very happy with that, but look, he’s worked hard today and hasn’t got a lot of quality into him in terms of what to work with, but he hasn’t played as much recently as he would have liked to, so playing nearly 90 last week and obviously a big part today, so he’s just got a touch of cramp and it was a bit precautionary.”
Dave then also gave his plaudits to young Tyler James after the forward made it 5 goals in 2 games after scoring a brace today, he said “He’s a fantastic player. This is the reason why we wanted to bring him to the club. He was one of the players we were going to speak to in the summer. We didn’t think it was right at the time, but he’s got goals in him and he’s a very unassuming lad. He’s very quiet. He’s fitting straight away. It’s always tough when you move to a big club like that, especially when you’re a quiet lad and you’re not super experienced in non-league. Coming to a club like Bury, where you’ve got really established players, you’ve obviously got the weight and expectation of the club and the crowd. It can be difficult. It takes a bit of time to adjust, so I said to him all the time, just relax and just wait. Your chance will come and when it does, you’re good enough to take it and the last two games he’s proved that.”
He then also praised Goalkeeper Mitch Allen who was awarded the Northwest Counties Premier Division Goalkeeper of the month award, with him saying “Another clean sheet, that eight on the bounce. I mean, I don’t know what happened to his kicking today. He was their best player for spells. He’s a phenomenal goalkeeper. He’s had to deal with some challenges in terms of a bit of a back line that’s changed a couple of different shapes, different personnel for different reasons. I know we had a sticky spot in the middle of the season, but our confidence has never waved in, in one little, tiny bit. He was the best goalkeeper in the league above the last two seasons on the bounce, so there’s no doubt that his capabilities are going to go higher.”
To finish the interview Dave looked ahead to the final game of the season against Burscough, with him saying “It is, but it’s not a party. We’ve got to prep. We’ve got to go and win the game. I know that we’re pointing off, but we’re not going to be setting ourselves up to try and take a point. There’s no way. Burscough are a good side. They’ve got very experienced players down the spine of the team. They’ll be coming to try and finish the season on a high. They’ve had a few ups and downs this season, but they’re finishing really well. I think they’re second or third in the form table. So, they’re going to be coming, and look, they’re going to come and want to ruin our day because it puts them in the shot window and puts them in the manager’s plans for next season. They’re a good side. We need to be at our best to go, and we will be going out to try and win the game.”