Will Atkinson his teammates were left disappointed with their performance yesterday as they were unable to “put on a show” for the travelling fans.
1,888 Valiants travelled to Moss Rose to support the Vale, making up over half of the total attendance at the game and made their voices heard, cheering on the team all game, but Atkinson was upset that they couldn’t reward their support with a result.
Atkinson believes that the main issue the side had was they were unable to control the ball, play their football and dominate the game like they have in recent matches, with other factors such as the pitch also having an impact, but spoke of how mentally ready the players were for the game.
The team were all excited and prepared for the game and to be unable to come away with any points left the whole squad bitterly frustrated, but Atkinson added how key it is to not dwell on the result and instead look to put it right next week.
He said: “Disappointing performance, disappointing result, just a disappointing day all round, and it’s a shame we couldn’t get a result for all the travelling fans because it’s great to see them turn out in such numbers, we wanted to put on a show for them but unfortunately we just didn’t perform.
“Last week we had a lot of the ball, we had a lot of it our way and this week it was slightly different, we always knew it was going to be a slightly different game, the pitch isn’t great, it was a slightly hostile environment but we was up for it .
“Individually and collectively we just didn’t perform and everyone’s gutted in the changing room so we’ve just got to move on from that and try and put it right.”
The preparation to turn things back around has to start immediately according to Atkinson, who emphasised how key it is to not get too high when the team win but also not get too low when they lose.
The huge support made the defeat feel worse for the players but they will not let that one poor result effect the rest of the season, with a game at Vale Park, where they are undefeated this season, up next giving the team the perfect chance to get back on track.
The blend of youth and experience within a strong dressing room will help the team recover together and quickly in the eyes of Atkinson, with the upbeat feeling throughout the whole club this season supporting the team as they look to return to winning ways.
He said: “Because of the massive travelling support we had, everyone looks at this as a massive game and we were desperate to do well for them but at the end of the day it’s three points, it’s one game, if we can bounce back and get a good result at home, it’s a positive again.
“Overall it’s a strong dressing room, there’s a good blend of youth and experience, it’s a really positive place to be and I’m really enjoying the time I’ve had here so far.
“There’s a real good togetherness… there’s a bit of a buzz around the place, so it is a positive place to be and it’s disappointing today but we have to draw a line in the sand and get on with it, be positive all week and look to get the three points on Saturday.”