Faltering Hatters still ‘in good place’
SAM BYRNE
COUNTY boss Dave Challinor has moved to reassure fans and players alike that his side are “in a good place”, despite a frustrating stalemate at Morecambe on Saturday making it three league fixtures without a win for the League Two leaders.
Striker Kyle Wootton grabbed a seventh goal in as many games in the 87th minute at the Mazuma Stadium on Saturday to earn his side a point, after Michael Mellon’s secondhalf opener had threatened to further frustrate a rather stuttering Hatters side.
After a first defeat in fourteen league games came in the form of a 2-1 loss at Newport County late last month, Challinor’s men have gone on to a 0-0 home draw with depleted Salford, before successive cup ties saw a 2-2 FA Cup first round tie at National League side Aldershot and a 2-0 knockout round defeat in the EFL Trophy at Wigan Athletic last Wednesday night.
While Challinor was pleased with what he saw from his side on a rainy afternoon in Lancashire by way of possession on Saturday, the former
Hartlepool United chief did cede that his side had failed to do enough to earn all three points.
“We clearly enjoyed total dominance in possession and territorially, but we didn’t do enough to really go and claim the three points,” he said.
“It’s always going to be tough in conditions like that, but if we do our jobs, we don’t concede the goal we conceded, and we go and get all three points.”
“It was poor from us. But then it was a horrible day to play football!”
“The weather makes it tough, but we could have been better in the things we can control; things that the weather shouldn’t really affect.
“The perspective to add is that on a day like today, it can be very difficult to open sides up. We didn’t quite do enough.”
Aside from the immediate frustration of the solitary point, County were dealt a further blow by the early exit of influential midfielder Antoni Sarcevic.
The former Bolton Wanderers captain, who has been in inspired form for the table-toppers so far this season, returned to the starting line-up on Saturday after a brief layoff due to a shoulder injury, but soon had to be withdrawn thanks to a knee injury from an innocuous-looking challenge.
“We’ll get Sarce scanned this week, and cross our fingers that it’s not serious,” said Challinor.
“We’re losing gamewinners and people who have that bit of quality to win us games. It’s a frustration, but we have to dig in until our business begins with the window opening.”
Despite that third consecutive winless league outing, Challinor reiterates that his side are “in a good place” and that panic will not be the order of the day at Edgeley Park.
This Wednesday night (13th) comes that FA Cup first round replay with The Shots at Edgeley Park, with that tie shown live on BBC Two.
Prior to Christmas comes two further home clashes, with Sutton Utd (16th December) and Notts County (22nd December) the respective visitors to Edgeley Park.
“We are in a good place. We were poor at Newport, but should have beaten Salford & didn’t quite do enough on Saturday. We have lost one league game in sixteen,” he said.
“We’re suffering and going through some pain with injuries, but we don’t panic - we will be judged in April.”
To round off 2023 for The Hatters, challenging trips to high-flying AFC Barrow (Boxing Day) and Bradford City (29th December) follow.
‘We’re going through some pain with injuries but we don’t panic’