Staunton happy with reaction (From The Northern Echo)

Staunton happy with reaction

9:49am Thursday 11th March 2010 in

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Darlington manager Steve Staunton says he was pleased his players were disappointed after Tuesday’s draw at Bury as their reaction demonstrated a winning mentality.

Quakers held third-placed Shakers to a 1-1 draw in what was one of Darlington’s best displays in recent weeks.

Tadhg Purcell had put Staunton’s men ahead with a penalty but a Ryan Lowe spotkick levelled matters before half-time.

Staunton said: “The lads were down in the dressing room, so down it was untrue.

Because they felt that they should have won and that’s great from my point of view.

“I was delighted to see that attitude because that showed me that they felt they should have gotten more out of the game because of their standard of play and work-rate.

“But there was a little pep talk and now they’re buzzing again because they know they achieved something.”

In recent weeks Staunton has said that his squad are progressing, yet five successive defeats had suggested otherwise. But after holding one of the promotion-chasing sides to a draw, which could easily have been a win were it not for a superb save late on which denied Mor Diop, the manager felt he had more tangible evidence.

“We know we’re making progress,” he said.

“When you’ve had 19 shots on target, like we did last Saturday, and lost 3-1 when Torquay only had six it’s a bitter pill but that’s football and it can be like that.

“But it’s coming together and what you’ve got to remember is that this team has not been together that long. For the Irish boys this is their pre-season and they’ve been thrown in at the deep end. but they have coped really well.

“We know we’re on the right track, we just need that little bit of luck and we’ll keep plugging away.”

Bury boss Alan Knill has admitted his side were lucky to be awarded the penalty from which Lowe scored.

Josh Gray, on as a sub due to an injury to left-back Stuart Giddings, was adjudged by a linesman to have fouled Stephen Dawson.

“Let’s be honest, we didn’t play very well and we were lucky to go in at half-time at 1-1,” said Knill. “We gave them a stupid penalty and we were fortunate to get ours.”

Staunton was reluctant to comment, saying only: “Linesmen seem to get involved when they shouldn’t, but I’m not going to get into it otherwise I’ll get in trouble.”

Giddings is likely to miss Saturday’s trip to eighthplaced Northampton Town with a groin strain.

Gray performed well as a makeshift replacement and is in contention to start at Sixfields.

Staunton said: “I thought Josh was excellent. He’s not a left-back but he grew into the game and in the second half some of his tackling was excellent and he got forward well which we know is his natural game. His all-round positional sense for a leftback was encouraging.”