It’s been a hectic couple of weeks since our last game here at the Amex Stadium against Leicester City but, on the whole, I am pleased that we’ve maintained our recent unbeaten run ahead of another test against Arsenal this evening.
We all know the margins between winning and losing are very narrow at this level and never was that more evident than against Leicester a fortnight ago.
On the whole, it was a good team display. We attacked well – reflected in the two goals we scored – but we also defended very well as a team when Leicester, inevitably, came back into the game in the second half. We know we had a little bit of luck along the way but you sometimes have to earn that luck and our collective spirit saw us over the line against a very good side.
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We were also backed by a tremendous home support, especially as we looked to close the game out. The atmosphere since the fans have returned has been excellent, and I’m not sure if it’s because we’ve missed you so much, but it feels better than ever. The support we’ve had home and away has been phenomenal.
That same togetherness, from the squad and the supporters, was also needed on a testing evening at Crystal Palace on Monday night.
We knew the kind of atmosphere we would experience at Selhurst Park, matched by a team that played very much on the front foot, but we again showed real spirit, desire and determination to keep going, to keep pushing for an equaliser.
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When it arrived so late in the game, it naturally felt like a win, so it was important we all enjoyed the moment, but we are also mindful that there is still plenty for us to work on, given the quality of opposition we are facing each week.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome Mikel Arteta and his squad to the Amex this evening. Arsenal are very much a side in form and will be buoyed by their excellent win against Tottenham on Sunday. They have excellent footballers throughout their side, including a sprinkling of young, exciting talent, and they will provide another tough test for us, we can be certain of that.
On the subject of young players, I was delighted with our performance in the Carabao Cup win here against Swansea City last week. It provided an opportunity to rotate our squad while elevating some players from our under-23 set-up. Every player stepped up to the plate on the night, which was so pleasing to see, and we now look forward to a trip to Leicester City in the next round.
Finally, our game today will be the last as a coach for Casper Ankergren, who is returning home to his former club Brondby in Denmark.
Casper had been an integral part of our goalkeeping set-up since I’ve been at the club and I know he will be sorely missed by all our keepers and our goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts.
We wish you all the best with your next chapter and thanks for your tremendous input here, both as a coach and a person.
Enjoy the game.
Today's programme is available to purchase at the stadium or online, priced at £3.50.