It would be fair to say that Salford was an eventful game. After the initial satisfaction of taking the lead, to the sorrow of losing Danny Hone and going 2-1 down, to the delirium of Kevin Roberts equaliser in the 92nd minute. After all that Billy Heath gave his thoughts to the Shaymen Player.
“Yeah, just another exciting game isn’t it? Obviously, we were pleased with 1-0 at half time, very tight affair first half –we got a goal from a good set-piece. We knew there would be a reaction and there was –the first one’s a strange one because Kev [Kevin Roberts] has got it wrong from the corner. The second is even more disappointing because we don’t squeeze from a corner and it’s ended in the back of the net. Then we lose Danny Hone, he had been fouled before he fouled, but the referee didn’t see it that way. But I’ve said to the players in the dressing room again the character and the willingness to keep going, there wasn’t one player who decided to throw the towel in against a good Salford side, that are fancied and sometimes you get your just reward and I think a point was a fair result,”
“There weren’t many chances, a few long throws, but in open play, I don’t think they’ve created a chance. We had a few chances before the goal, Peniket who feels he should have done better –it was a tight affair between two clubs expected to be up there. The important thing is we have got something from the game, we said we wanted to start a run tonight and that’s what we have done.”
Of course, Kevin Roberts was in the middle of the eventfulness with a goal and an assist for both sides! Billy Heath still sees more positives than negatives from the Roberts display…
“Great free-kick from Kevin, great quality and Garner has put in a great run and a great header; he’s had an eventful night has Kevin, but everyone knows he is a fantastic player, the positive at the end –what a finish with that many players in the vicinity of the goal and where he has put it, off the underside of the crossbar, it’s a great finish. It’s going to be an eventful season by the looks of it; lots of big teams pushing, lots of good teams,”
“No complaints about the penalty, I think Kev has gone to head it. It’s moved on him –he’s tried to disguise it, the old one, but he hasn’t and it’s definitely a penalty.”
Overall there could be no complaints in what was a good overall display from Halifax and Heath praised a spirited display with 10 men.
“We played with 10 men for a while and they’re going to have options and possibilities but I think we limited it. What real chances did they carve out? They’ve got lucky from a corner, where their lad should really score, but what chances after that? Like I said to the boys, they’ve shown great character, great desire. I’m pleased with a point; you always are when you are 2-1 down with 10 men and twenty minutes to go. They’ve put in a great shift.”
Still, things could have been so much different as Heath explained on the Hone sending off before concluding the result was a fair one.
“We were waiting for the ball to go out! We have choices to make and we probably didn’t do it quickly enough,”
“The support we had here tonight, the amount we had, and it’s good for them to come away with something and to be fair I think we deserve something. Did Salford do enough to win it? Did we do enough to win it? I don’t think either team did enough to win it to be honest.”
With Hone sent off, O’Brien and Hotte injured the Town defence is in somewhat of a crises. But as Heath explains, there is reason for optimism elsewhere.
“This is the problem we are getting at the minute because we are never getting a settled side, we are chopping and changing. But I must say, Hibbs tonight, was tremendous tonight; I think the boy has real ability, real quality, he’s just got to learn the game a bit better –which we are working one, but he was tremendous tonight. But the problem at the minute, we can’t get a settled side; we are changing every week because we pick up an injured. Kosylo has come on and he’s picked up an injury, tweaked his knee, obviously we’ll patch people up and see what we’ve got from there.”
Ahead of Stalybridge on Saturday, Heath was nothing if not complimentary to the upcoming visitors.
“Stalybridge have had a good win, new management team in, people eager to impress, people eager to get points with Stalybridge in the position they are in, so, like I have said before, there are no given results you work hard and play to the best of your ability and if we work hard and play to the best of our ability hopefully we will pick up points.”
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