Daryl McMahon won’t care much for the post-match analysis of Fleet’s Plainmoor party as his side got the point they came for.
The Fleet boss, who refused to publically acknowledge the play-offs while his team consolidated in the Top 10, can bask for a while in a job very well done as his side finished as the highest of the four promoted clubs. Given Fleet were 12th in early February, it’s been an amazing turnaround in form off the back of a lot of games and a lot of travelling and McMahon reflected on that in his thoughts after the game.
“It wasn’t the best of games and it wasn’t one of our vintage performances,” he told BB Radio Kent’s Dave Gibbins. “But we got the job done. It’s been a tough week for us. Tuesday we were up at Gateshead and then down here today. That’s a lot of travelling this week and we’ve had eight games in April and only lost one of them. The boys have been terrific for me and we look forward to Aldershot now on Wednesday night.”
As far as the game was concerned, the Fleet boss accepted his side weren’t at their best and considered that the occasion might have had some effect.
“I just wanted a bit more quality from us,” he said. “A bit more care. We base ourselves on being good with the ball and I didn’t think we had our best football today compared to how we normally are. There was a lot of maybe rash decision-making, maybe with the pressure of the game… I don’t think physically, I think mentally really. So now it’s important we recover for Wednesday, get our heads down and relax. But I don’t really care now how we played, I’m just glad we got here.”
Jack Connors’ first professional goal ensured a point was earned and McMahon was fairly sure the full-back didn’t mean it.
“It was 100 per cent a cross!” he said. “It was one of them games today where a deflection, a cross, a mistake, I think it was always going to be decided by stuff like that today. We’d brought him on in terms of getting forward and being an attacking full back, where Chris Bush is a bit more defensive. It was a bad cross but a good goal!”
And the Fleet boss had no complaints with the penalty, when Kenny Clark took Brett Williams down only three minutes after Connors’ opener.
“Kenny Clark’s been unbelievable for me for three years and he’s made an error today but it’s fine,” said McMahon. “He’s saved us enough times. He should have stayed on his feet and worked his feet a little bit more, but maybe he’s a bit tired, not thinking correctly and just throwing yourself in front of the ball. And the lad’s done him and dinked it over him so definite penalty.”
Listen to the interview below.
