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Askey puts players on the spot after draw

10/12/2003

MACC Town manager John Askey admitted he was disappointed with his side's performance against Cambridge, but praised keeper Steve Wilson for a virtuoso display.

"Steve was magnificent and kept us in the cup," said Askey, who retained his unbeaten record at home as caretaker boss.

"The performance was disappointing, we never got going, and there were too many players under par with just one or two people working hard to keep us in the game."

Asked whether Colin Little's one-on -one miss against Shaun Marshall was the turning point of the game, Askey said: "Colin had a great chance and perhaps he should have scored but we didn't create that many chances throughout the game.

"We can't single players out, but I suppose it shows what spirit we have got in the squad when we can play badly but still get the result."

George Abbey's contentious sending-off was another major talking point in the game, but Askey remained open-minded about whether the club would make an appeal.

He said: "We'll look at the video. We're having too many sending-offs but like I have said before I think it's too easy for referees to just send people of nowadays. Whether or not there was contact I don't know, there were too many people in the way."

Macc return to league action next week against Huddersfield Town, and Askey told Express Sport he wanted to see an improvement on Saturday's showing.

He said: "The league is always the most important. It's nice to have a good cup run and the financial rewards which go with it, but that it part of the reason I was disappointed to day - I though the players would be a little bit more relaxed, but that didn't happen today."

Opposition boss John Taylor was a disconsolate figure in the press box after the game, he told us: John Taylor: "We created some great chances. It's a nightmare when you miss one penalty let alone miss two, but to give the keeper credit he made one great save.

"We gave away the first goal. The lad got the wrong side of me, which was a problem, but I'd like to see it again to be sure that it was a penalty."