Grecians' Director of Football reacts to derby success
WITH CITY MANAGER Paul Tisdale recovering from a thrilling Devon derby win, Director of Football Steve Perryman commended the Grecians' manager on a brave team selection that paid dividends, with Ollie Watkins and Jamie Reid both excelling at Home Park after being handed unexpected starts.Steve was in the dugout as the Grecians battled to record their third win over the Sky Bet League 2 leaders so far this season, and he described the City side as a team of talented players.
"We've beaten a very, very good team," Steve said. "You don't get to the top of the league by being average. We sampled their quality a few weeks ago in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, and we know what a good team they are. There was a little bit of extra spice in the game, as a derby, but I didn't think that it was smash-and-grab by any means. I thought that it was a victory for a very good team that worked together. Normally when we play a team at the top of the league, we get on it, so everyone knows what we are all about now.
"It was a huge disappointment to concede so late on last week against Crawley, but that was included in the preparations for today. To give a lot of credit to the manager; he went for broke with a number of selections today, and some very good players weren't even on our bench today. Credit to him for his bravery; the two lads that were brought in, Jamie Reid and Ollie Watkins, have shown in the last month, six weeks or so, what talented youngsters they are, and they've done that not only through their ability but also through their workrate.
"Nobody who knows Ryan Harley's game will have been surprised by his performance today. Ryan has goals in him, and he's over his injuries now. He's got power, it's like he has four legs, he has power and can run all day. He wasn't out of place today, though - there was a team of talented players out there.
"The ladies who all volunteer with cooking the meals at our training ground were asking us to win all week, so this was for them. This club is truly inclusive, and we value every single individual at the club just as much as anyone else. That's the sort of club this is.
"All in all, maybe the rest of the players put themselves out a little more due to the inclusion of the youngsters, but it certainly wasn't smash-and-grab, and I think it was a deserved win."