A goal deep into added time gave Whitley a point at Newton Aycliffe in Mick Mulhern’s first game as Bay manager and the new boss felt the draw was no more than his side deserved. “To be honest we came down for the three points but yes, I’m happy to get the point. It was highlighted to the players that the game wouldn’t be won until 93 or 94 minutes so we had to stay in the game and make sure we were in a position to get the winner. That was what we talked about, but it’s satisfying that when we were losing 2-1 the positive attitude didn’t drop and we kept on going, and I think we deserved the equaliser. We controlled the game in the first half and then we conceded the goal which everybody was disappointed about, but it happens. There were far more positives out of this game than negatives. This is a difficult place to come to and I was really pleased with everyone’s work ethic and attitude. It’s nice that the players have got something out of this game because it would have been a bad start if we hadn’t. The way they went about their business was good and that’s a real positive, a good start and we’ve got a point on the board.”
Callum Anderson was forced out of the game after just six minutes with an ankle injury following a bad challenge but rather than dwell on the disappointment, Mulhern focussed on the team preparations and the need to address the problem immediately. “I thought long and hard about the selection, who would play and where and which players would be on the bench, so they could deputise as and when they’re needed. For me it’s a game about 16 players not 11. It was quite seamless; it was quite easy. I didn’t have to think about it long and hard, he (Callum) was down so Ibby got prepared and he came on and that was the end of it really. All the substitutions were like for like, with a purpose when players had done their bit and it was maybe time for someone else to take over the baton. Kieran had put a shift in but I could see he was just starting to struggle a little bit and likewise for Ben Richardson. Ben had put in a great shift in the middle of the park but he started to struggle a little bit towards the end so again Ben Christensen, an experienced player, came on, took over the baton, and just finished the job off. And he was the one who pushed the ball back into the box which led to Andrei’s goal. I think he deserved his goal because he was excellent; he’d made a 40 yard run, and ran out of space so he played it out wide and finished it off when it came back in. For the first goal it was Andrei again with a great cross and it was a really great finish from Kieran. Our attackers were causing an awful lot of problems with their movement and that was really pleasing. It’s something we can develop and build on. The players all did everything we asked for before the game so I cannot complain.”
Stephen Ramsey was not involved in the game but the manager explained “Stephen rang me to say he’d got an injury to his back. Now I really respect that honesty towards me and the team, that goes a long way with me. If you start the game and just try to hide it (the injury) that’s not good but it just goes to show the really good attitude of the players. I was pleased with him. He’s done himself out of a starting position through looking after himself, but I’ll remember that. It was good of him.
“I thought we were up against a very physical team today, Newton Aycliffe were a good side and it was a great test. The lads looked after themselves well so if they can do that against Newton Aycliffe why can’t they do it against anybody else?”
Reflecting on the fact that this was his first game as manager, he added, “I’m glad the first one’s out of the way, it’s a point on the board. We know we’re not going to win every game and we’ll get a slap once or twice. On another day we might have run out of time but this afternoon we were having a real go. I’m pleased they kept going and got a draw because I honestly believe they got what they deserved.”
