Steve Cotterill has expressed his pride in Cheltenham Town after their 4-0 victory at Walsall.
Reflecting on the Game
Cotterill commented on both halves of the match. He felt the team played well in the first half, despite not scoring. He noted the players were “agitated a bit” with each other initially. Cotterill said he told them “there was no need for them to be agitated with each other”, attributing any difficulties to the opposition’s defensive efforts.
He emphasised the importance of patience and sticking to the style of football he aims to implement. Cotterill added, “We won’t always play like that, but that was a really, really emphatic performance today. Really, really good.”. He also gave credit to Walsall, acknowledging they are a good team with good players who could have reached the play-offs.
Set Pieces and Individual Brilliance
Cotterill confirmed Harry Ashfield’s opening goal came from a training ground routine. He said that such set plays sometimes come to fruition. He also praised Isaac Hutchinson’s goal, highlighting the team’s ability to break lines with passes.
Cotterill spoke about the challenges posed by Walsall’s pressing game. He acknowledged the difficulty of playing against the wind, which sometimes caused the ball to return to their own goalkeeper. However, he reiterated his satisfaction with the team’s overall performance.
Securing League Status
Cotterill expressed his pride in the club securing their place in the Football League for the next year with five games to spare. He stated this was a major reason for his return to the club. He felt that by putting everything into the role, along with his staff and players, they could achieve this goal.
Cotterill said that staying in the Football League was important to him “not just professionally, but emotionally”. He thanked the supporters and the media for their support. He also highlighted the togetherness within the dressing room, comparing it to his earlier time at the club.
Cotterill closed by expressing his pleasure for everyone connected with the football club, including the media. He added a light-hearted note about his interactions with the press, saying, “I don’t think I have bitten your head off yet. I will put the word ‘yet’ in there because I can’t promise myself sometimes that won’t h”.