Aldershot 0-1 FC Halifax Town: “That was a proper away win” says Wild

Town manager Pete Wild hailed his side’s 1-0 victory at Aldershot as “a proper away win”.
Pete Wild. Photo: Marcus BranstonPete Wild. Photo: Marcus Branston
Pete Wild. Photo: Marcus Branston

Billy Waters’ seventh goal of the season proved decisive for Town, who withstood some second-half pressure to hold on to the win.

“I thought we started well, we controlled the football, we got on it, we pinned them low, we took their new manager impetus out of them,” said Wild.

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“I thought we were really controlled, even when we didn’t have the ball, and that was as pleasing as our football.

“It was a really well-worked goal. We work so much on getting into those areas and getting down the sides, we do so much work on that, so to score so many goals from those areas this year’s been really pleasing as you can imagine.

“Second-half, they started brightly, but I thought we contained them, I never thought ‘oh my god, we’re stretched here’.

“They then started trying to target young Ty (Warren) because he was on a yellow, but I thought Ty dealt with that excellently well.

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“And then we started to grow into the game, and controlled it, took their impetus out of it again, managed the football match.

“What happens late on is you’re trying to score so you’re throwing everything at it, but I thought we defended our own box excellently.”

Town produced a mix of style and substance in the game, producing some attractive attacking play as well as defending their box strongly.

“It’s pleasing that, if you want to have a scrap, we’ll have a scrap with you, and if you want to have a football match, we’ll have a football match with you,” Wild said.

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“We seem to have a bit of both about us at the moment, and I’ve got to be honest, that really pleases me.”

Wild said his pre-match focus was on any potential new manager bounce for the hosts, in Mark Molesley’s first game in charge of the hosts.

“That’s all I was talking about. I said to the players ‘if you play at the levels you can football-wise there’ll be no problem, what worries me is if your levels drop and our attitude and application drop, then you give them a chance’,” Wild said.

“That was my worry coming into the match, so to do so well at that, I’m really pleased.

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“I used the phrase ‘after the Lord Mayor’s show’ and nobody understood what I meant! So I won’t be using that again!

“I had to explain my analogy, but to come out after the Lord Mayor’s show and to produce that is very pleasing.

“That was a proper away win.”

Wild confirmed midfielder Jamie Cooke’s loan at Matlock will be a month-to-month deal, having switched his loan club from FC United of Manchester.

“FC United wanted to change the circumstances and didn’t really fill us with confidence,” Wild said.

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“We’re thankful for FC for having him and developing him, it’s much appreciated, but things changed and we moved him, and Matlock were more than welcoming and he’s gone and got a brace I believe.

“It’s important he’s playing, the more he plays the more he’ll develop, and he’ll get his chance like young Kian did.”

On defender Jess Debrah’s knee injury, Wild said: “It’s just taking a bit longer than expected, it’s still sore and we just can’t get that full range of movement in it.”

Wild said midfielder Luke Summerfield will return to training on Monday, and on Jay Benn’s injury, Wild said: “It’s been confirmed he needs an operation, we’re trying to get that done as quickly as possible, but the good news is that, because it’s an operation, the rehab will be shorter and it’s looking like a three-month rehab from the operation, which is really good news for the young lad.”

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