Right from the kick off I expected a cricket score and that's being totally honest, you were under pressure and up against it staraight away but guess what.......you can defend. Crabby (Beast) pulled off some great saves and stops in the first fifteen minutes to keep the score nil nil and really it was only a matter of time before they put one in. Even after going one down there was a great chance to level that just went past the post. Going two down I thought 'Here it comes' but no, you kept on battling and only a good save from their keeper stopped you fom pulling one back before half time.
Second half so you quickly go another behind, hardly suprising the amount of running you'd done. Then what happened, a great strike and you've got one back, that must have given you great confidence and before long you'd made it 3-2. Tell you what lads, at that point, eight men or not, you really had them rattled, you could see it on there faces when the second went in, they were stunned.
You played awesome football and I'd like to bet the Clitheroe coach was thankful that Saints couldn't field a full side because if you had, you'd have stuffed 'em good and proper. You were more skillful, you were quicker and you just didn't know when to lie down.
The final score of 7 or 8 whatever it was to 3 is imaterial, the game was lost before you even kicked off but aquit yourselves in this manner must leave each and everyone of you feeling extremely proud. I feel honoured to have watched a group of lads play their hearts out against all the odds and come out of the game with so much pride. It's nice to have superb players in your side but when a team performs like you lads did, that's what you can truly call a football team.
I know Crabby got man of the match and probably deservedly so but without any shadow of a doubt the Saints were team of the match. This game was one of those very rare occassions when the losers actually come out the winners down to a man. To everyone who played I offer you my sincerest congratulations on the job you did today, a job that seemed insurmountable but a job well done.
Now it's down to the coach to try and ensure this doesn't happen again, the side obviously needs some strength in depth and a couple of quick signings needed before the window closes. Your injured players are likely to be out for some time so it's imperitive that players are brought in to field a full side.
That's my two pennyworth anyway, I've said it many times, sometimes probably too freely that teams are a credit to the Saints, todays display and performance tops the pile of acolades I've heaped on teams.
Well done hardly suffices but there it is to each and every one of you.
