Macca proud of his players

Post Match Reaction Vs Winchester City

By Jack Hobbs

Plymouth Parkway claimed a vital 0-1 away win at Winchester City to keep a seven-point barrier between themselves and the drop zone with just four games to go.

Midfielder Rio Garside popped up with the winner, heading home a cross from Tom Dean to drag his side ever closer to safety.

Speaking after the match manager Chris McPhee said: “It’s been a really positive day.”

“The boys were fantastic for the majority of the game, we deserved to win it for sure, and a really pleasing performance in so many aspects. It’s great to get three points, maintain that seven-point lead above the drop zone and continue to move up the table a little bit.

“We’re looking forward to enjoying the result on the way home and moving on to next week.”

Speaking on today’s match winner, McPhee said: “I don’t think it’s been any secret that we’ve been encouraging Rio to get forward into more advanced areas in recent games – he’s come close in a couple of matches and has been getting into some good areas.

“Today was one of those days where he was all over the pitch again, making tackles and interceptions and getting on the ball, but when the ball was played into attacking areas, and he wasn’t involved in in the build-up, he was getting into the box, which is really good to see.

“(For the goal) he just managed to arrive in the right time. When Deano had the ball on the right-hand side, flashed the ball across the box, and he arrived in a six-yard-box to head the ball past the keeper.

“It just goes to prove to him that if he breaks his neck to get into the into the box a little bit more often, then he’ll find himself in goal scoring positions.

“He’s been fantastic for us the second half of the season. His energy, his willingness to make tackles, get on the ball and help make us play as a midfield unit has been really good over the last month or so.

“It’s great to see him get rewarded for his for his hard work and being the match winner in terms of scoring the decisive goal today.

“I felt that the team as a whole was very brave, very confident with the ball. The surface was perfect for us trying to move the ball and be patient out from the back.

“We just tried to press this to a certain extent, but the boy’s confidence and rotations and timing of their movement to break down their high press was very good, especially in the first half.

“We created some opportunities, but we weren’t able to unlock the opposition defence at times. Some of that was down to just not trying hard enough and sometimes our attacking play wasn’t as quick, but we were very good with the ball.

“The way we played and managed the game after we took the lead, playing with variety, playing short, sometimes playing progressive football, and then being able to go a little bit beyond and take the spaces that were left in behind, made it a really professional performance.

“One thing we do need to be a little bit mindful of, and try to improve moving forward, is regardless of the score we tend to always give our opponent a last chance to score.

“Obviously today we only had a one nil lead, we still managed to leave an opportunity that on a different day they take, and we share the points. So it’s just something that we’ve got to ensure that we keep that those that focus right the way through and see things out like we have done today.

“We did ride our luck in those final minutes, but across the balance of the game, we certainly deserve to win, and it could easily have been by a larger margin today.

The win has moved Parkway up to 12th in the table and with just four games left to go, it has put the Yellows in a really strong position to avoid the drop.

Parkway will welcome 14th placed Sholing to Bolitho next Saturday, and the 41-year-old is keen to keep his sides form ticking.

“It will be the same message again”, said McPhee.

“We’ll try and have a look at some of Sholings performances and try and get a little bit of an idea of some more detail around them, but the main message to the group is going to be the same, and that is to be us and to play the way we play.

“We need to make sure we play with that variety that causes opposition, that little bit of a problem where they can’t always get pressure on the ball in the same way, or have a detailed plan to try and stop us.

“Above all else, we’ve got to have that attitude, that focus, that commitment, that desire and work rate, that that’s got results over the past couple of months and put us in a good position.

“The challenge is going to be, with four games left, how many points can we get? Can we go and get maximum points and finish the season really strongly, and try and take that momentum and that feel good factor into next season.

“As a group of players, as a group of staff, and club as a whole, we’re desperate to try and accumulate as many points as we can over the last four games. We want to reward the boys for a hardworking season.

“They’ve really improved, and it would be nice for them to get a decent accumulation of points to signify that.”

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