Defender determined to make amends in Scunthorpe
City centre-back Pat Baldwin feels that he and his teammates are striving to get back to winning ways when the Grecians visit Scunthorpe United on Saturday.
The 3-0 reverse at home to Hartlepool last weekend seemed uncharacteristic, given the performances and results that had preceded it so far in the 2013/14 campaign. And while he doesn’t feel that City were anything other than prepared for the Hartlepool game, he admits that there is a determination to right the wrongs of last weekend.
“It was a shock to everybody – it wasn’t the result that we were expecting at all,” confessed Baldwin. “Hopefully it’ll turn out to be the best thing that’s happened to us – it could be a big wake-up call as to what can happen in this league. If you show even the slightest bit of complacency, then that’s what can happen to you.
“We’ll soon find out whether Hartlepool was just a blip, and I’m sure it will be. We’re going into this game on Saturday really determined – we’ll go into the Scunthorpe match with an eye on Oxford on Tuesday, but our main focus has to be on Saturday and responding to the Hartlepool game last weekend.
“To be successful, you have to go from one game to the next and concentrate on that without looking too far forward. And that’s what we’re doing – we’re going into Saturday’s game really positive.
“We’ve looked a bit at Scunthorpe, so we’re familiar with the way they set up and their home record, which is very good. We know it’s going to be a tough game, so we’ll wait and see what happens on Saturday.”
Pat also feels that they can learn bits and pieces from the defeat, in terms of how to avoid suffering the same fate again – but that it is important not to forget the potential they have to wreak havoc on other teams too.
“You can’t completely forget about times when you do badly, because that’s how you learn,” explained the centre-half. But the important thing for the management team is to recognise why it went wrong and explain it to us, but then also to emphasise that we’re a good team – because we are.
“When things go right, we’re a very good team. Unfortunately on Saturday things went wrong and there’s a fine line there. This Saturday at Scunthorpe is a good game for us to respond and get a good result.”
Danny Butterfield is expected to miss out after hobbling off with a calf complaint midway through the first half of the Hartlepool game. It will inevitably mean for a reshuffle in defence to plug the right-back position once more, and that could affect where Pat has to play.
The 30-year-old had just rekindled his defensive partnership with Danny Coles, but he will have no qualms in taking one for the team by playing elsewhere in defence again if necessary, as he did earlier in the year.
“Tis has said before that with a squad of our size, we will have to fill gaps occasionally,” said Baldwin. “If that means that I have to play out of position again, then I will do it to the best of my ability and it’s as simple as that.
“I’ll do a job wherever I’m asked – whichever manager I’ve played under, I’ve done the same. I’ve always tried to give it my best go – whether I’m good enough, that’s a different matter – but I will certainly give it my best go if selected, in whatever position.”