Mark Cooper said his Yeovil Town side picked up a “moral victory” despite being beaten 4-1 at home to table-topping Notts County at Huihs Park on Saturday.
Having fallen behind to an early goal from the National League’s top scorer Macauley Langstaff after just four minutes, the Glovers pulled level when substitute Andrew Oluwabori equalised after 65 minutes but a penalty from Reuben Rodrigues and another two for Langstaff completed the scoring.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins after the game, Cooper said: “I thought we were magnificent from start to finish. At 2-1 (down) I gambled looking to get back in it, pushed people forward hoping that we would get a chance and we did, we had a great chance more or less on the goal line but put it wide.
“I think it is a moral victory for us and we have expended a lot of energy today and got nothing, we didn’t get what we deserved.”
He added: “I thought second half we were brilliant, we had a game plan which was clear for all to see, people were sat behind me shouting ‘go and press them’ but we knew exactly what we were doing.
“We kept winning the ball back in the middle of the pitch, we had numerous chances and at 1-1 we looked like we could have won it and then I don’t know if it’s a penalty.”
The boss had praise for debutant defender Ryan Law about whom he said: “He was calm, no drama. He was a 7/10 and improves us down that left hand side definitely” and Oluwabori, adding: “It was a great goal from Andrew and we need more of them.”
Having started the game with strikers Alex Fisher and Malachi Linton, the boss said he believed his side had tried to entertain the Huish Park crowd. He said: “I think we had a duty at home to try and entertain our hands. We played two strikers, played a little wider which was part of the game plan to try and stretch them and I thought it worked really well.”
Yeovil were without the creative forces of Jordan Maguire-Drew and Jack Clarke against Notts and named just four substitutes, and Cooper said he was hopeful of having Maguire-Drew back in time for Tuesday night’s trip to Maidenhead United.
He added that he did not think Chiori Johnson would be available for the midweek match.
Of his team, he said: “They are fit, we have some real athletes in the middle of the pitch and if we play with that endeavour in the middle of the pitch on Tuesday we will be competitive.”