Yeovil Town captain Josh Staunton has urged his side not to get too downbeat after a frustrating 0-0 draw with Wealdstone.
The part time outfit held the Glovers at bay for more than 80 minutes with ten men, but Yeovil did have their chances, missing a second half penalty and seeing multiple opportunities cleared off the line.
Speaking to BBC Somerset’s Sheridan Robins the skipper praised the Stones’ defensive resolution and backed his team mates to come good.
“I think it’s always a challenge when a team sits in like that, especially when the pitch is quite sticky, and the fine margins didn’t go our way.
It’s very disappointing right now, but at the end of the day it’s one point away from home against a team which are right on form, so as a group we will try and look at the positives.
If someone had said to us at 3 o’clock at the end of the bank holiday we will win the home one and draw the away one I don’t think there would be too many complaints.”
“Obviously the situation makes it a bit more frustrating, but there’s a long season to go.”
Tactical changes and substitutions were all make with attacking alterations in mind, but Yeovil just couldn’t find a way through.
“When you’re chasing a game you’re searching a little bit. In the first half we were three at the back and we were ok, but we probably didn’t utilise the four at the back as well as we probably should have.
As players we kind of shot ourselves in the foot, I think we didn’t get high enough up the pitch.”
Looking ahead the captain urged caution at getting too low at the early season frustration and backed Malachi Linton to come back from the disappointment at missing the penalty.
“It’s a long season so it’s about keeping the group level and not feeling like it’s the end of the world in there.”
“I’m sure Mal is very down in there, I don’t need to sit hear and try and say otherwise, strikers want to score goals, it’s never nice when you put yourself forward to take a penalty in a tight game like that… unfortunately today for Mal, it went the wrong side of the crossbar and he’s a young lad with a great future ahead of him and he’s started the season well.
At times like that it’s about rallying round him and make sure he picks himself up.”
Wise words from the captain, who went on to back up those thoughts, even further.
“Obviously we’re very downbeat right now, but on another day we could have had three or four and if we’d have got one in the first half when we were on top we make it a much easier game.”
“We’re understandably frustrated right now, sometimes when you’re like that it’s a kick for you, because if we’d have got six points out of the bank holiday weekend then it would have been a brilliant return.
In this league if you do well at home and draw your away ones, regardless of the situation, you’ll be OK.
Overall, however disappointed we are, it’s that old cliché of it being a marathon not a sprint.”
The next stop on the 26.2 mile journey that is the National League season is a home game against York City this coming Saturday.