‘WE HAVE TO BE BETTER’
County boss defiant after league defeat
UNDER-PRESSURE County boss Simon Rusk says his side ‘have to be better’, as The Hatters slumped to a 2-1 defeat at Notts County in National League action on Saturday.
Second-half goals from Kyle Wootton and Frank Vincent sentenced Rusk’s side to a fourth defeat in the opening 11 games of the season, with County now sitting 10th in the National League – 12 points adrift of leaders Grimsby Town.
Ben Whitfield added some consolation to the scoreline with a last-minute penalty, but County had been well beaten by what Rusk admits was ‘the better side’.
“We just did not play well enough to get something out of the game. We have to concede that the better team won on the day. I can have no complaints with the result.
“I’m really disappointed with the nature of the goals. Of course, you can always lose to a moment of quality, but we just did not deal with a simplistic situation very well, and for the second goal we lose the ball very cheaply and don’t do well enough in the moments after that. We’ve been punished against a good side.”
Rusk felt that it was, however, his side who had the momentum going into the break.
“We looked quite bright on the counter-attack in the early stages of the game. We knew that they would have bright players who will pop up and cause problems, but we were creating chances and perhaps had the momentum going into the break,” he said.
Rusk also explained that his side had been forced into a reshuffle the day before the game, with defender Zeki Fryers ruled out through a training ground injury on Friday, before striker Paddy Madden left the field through injury early on in the first half.
New boy Antoni Sarcevic, signed last week in a jaw-dropping move from Bolton Wanderers,
ATTENTION for Rusk turns swiftly to the visit of struggling Barnet to Edgeley Park on Tuesday evening, as the Express went to print, with The Bees representing a home clash which – even amid their current struggles – The Hatters should be expected to win comfortably.
“We need to find a balance which really works for us, and that’s my job. We need to improve both on and off the ball and move on from Saturday with that improvement in mind.
“We can’t wait for these next two games now. It’s absolutely best to look to get back to winning ways quickly after Saturday and put right what we felt was wrong with our performance.”
Meanwhile, County confirmed the stunning capture of Bolton Wanderers captain Antoni Sarcevic on a free transfer last week, with the midfielder signing a three-year deal at Edgeley Park after an alleged fall-out with Wanderers boss Ian Evatt.
Manchester-born Sarcevic captained The Trotters to promotion from League Two last season, scoring eight times from midfield.
“I’m absolutely delighted to have Antoni join the group. During my first conversations with him here, I have already felt his hunger to succeed,” said Rusk.
“He is clearly someone with a high level of experience and pedigree from his time in the Football League, which we believe can add to us both on and off the pitch.”
entered the fray to replace Madden, but Rusk says that the injuries to his players mean that his side are ‘still finding their way’.
“We lost Zeki in training the day before the game, so of course it’s a frustrating one to then lose Paddy in the game.
“It affected how we went about things, but I believe we still had enough on the pitch to be better than we were.
“We have to be better, and we will get better.”