Flitcroft’s going soft – Bury get a day off!
DAVID Flitcroft granted his players an extra day off after recording a third straight victory against ten-man Exeter – and then warned them not to get comfortable.
After frustrating the hosts for the opening hour, the Grecian’s game plan was undone by Chris Hussey’s opener and captain Danny Coles’ dismissal four minutes later. Tom Soares sealed a result which leaves the Shakers seven points outside the play-offs and though Flitcroft has allowed them a day with their feet up he wants to maintain the push.
“I want to finish with momentum. I don’t do comfy, it’s not in my nature and I think we won comprehensively,” he said.
“You’ve got to be careful when you’re dominant that you don’t trip up but we didn’t and it’s another clean sheet which the lads are absolutely buzzing about.
“It’s something that this group of players has really committed to. To achieve 53 points is superb and the group should all take credit.
“I have more or less rebuilt a team in a short space of time to get us to this point and at every stage the chairman has been with us.
“In strategy meetings he’s backed me in getting players and the balance of the team right so it’s brilliant for him.
“I’ve given the players Monday off because they’ve deserved it. We’ve been on our trav- els, we’ve been in on Sundays on recovery sessions.
“They’ve sacrificed themselves and they deserve the time with their families and then we will hit it hard again.”
Bury missed a host of first-half chances as Andrew Tutte, Daniel Nardiello and Danny Mayor were all denied by Artur Krysiak.
Exeter then imploded midway through the second half as Hussey’s free-kick squirmed through Krysiak’s fingers before Coles picked up the second of two quick-fire bookings.
Substitute Soares converted Mayor’s cross for his second goal in two games to put the result beyond doubt and leave Paul Tisdale’s side just four points clear of the bottom two. “I’m disappointed,” said Tisdale.“We have to quickly move onto the next game but Bury looked a very good team.
“We had a tough first 20 minutes, we hung on and it put it in our thoughts that we had to defend.
“We did that increasingly well as the game went on and they put us under a lot of pressure but then ironically the goal came from something very soft. There has been too many games where we have conceded a goal from something soft.”