'We're all trying to aim for that play-off spot' (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Saints boss admits Redditch United win was step in right direction

1:40pm Tuesday 12th February 2013 in Sport

St Albans City joint manager Graham Golds admitted it was another step in the right direction after their 3-0 home victory over Redditch United.

The Saints secured back-to-back wins which pushed them to within four points of the Evostick Southern Premier Division play-offs.

Golds insists a place in the top-five remains the target for the club although he is concentrating on the immediate task of a home game against Bideford at the weekend.

“Let’s hope this is another step in the right direction but we’ve got to take it one game at a time. We will look at the Bideford game and try to get another three points from that. In this league, anyone can beat anyone.

“If you put a run together of four or five wins on the trot then you’re right back in there. That’s what we’ve got to try and do – keep the lads focused and keep going. They’re all aware of where we are and we’re all trying to aim for that play-off spot.

“That’s what we want to try and do and keep it going. We’ve got Bideford this weekend and if we start like we did here they’ll be out the game by half-time. The players are fully aware that next week we have to start quicker and up the tempo.

“We need to be a bit more physical as well. We lost too many first and second balls in the first half. It would be nice to put a little run together and get on the end of the play-offs again.”

The Saints got off to a slow start against second bottom Redditch and the manager admitted their performance wasn’t up to scratch. Their display was summed up at the end of the half when they won a penalty but Greg Ngoyi’s effort was saved by visiting keeper Bradley Catlow.

Golds said: “I think we weren’t at the races in the first half. We said to the boys about getting out of the traps early and getting stuck in like we did at Arlesey last week but in the first half we were poor.

“We just felt that we didn’t do enough. We played well within ourselves and played too many sideway balls allowing them to get back behind the ball.

“Our chances were limited due to that. I don’t think we knocked enough first time forward balls into Greg’s feet and I just think we went too square.”

A double substitution just after the break paid off with Brad Wadkins and Chris Henry making an impact for the hosts. Debutant Wadkins provided a threat and the 19-year-old celebrated his first goal after 66 minutes when the former Chalfont St Peter forward fired past Catlow.

Golds said: “He’s [Wadkins] a big, strong lad and quite quick. He's a handful and that’s what we needed out there. Their striker did well for them and was a willing runner who put our back four under pressure.

“We needed the same and we’ve tinkered around a little bit and got an extra body up front. I thought Brad was outstanding when he came on.

“He had probably 35 minutes and he was involved one of the other goals and scored the first so I thought he was outstanding. He’s still 19 and for a young lad he’s got some potential.”

The Saints doubled their lead after 82 minutes when Wadkins picked out Henry and he cut inside and fired the ball past the keeper. St Albans rounded off the scoring when Ngoyi netted his sixth goal in the last eight games.

Golds admitted: “We knew that we had to freshen it up a little bit after the first-half performance. We tinkered with the formation a little bit and played a lop sided 4-3-3 bringing Chris and Brad on and it changed the game for us.

“It is nice when you change it round and you tinker and the two lads that came on got us the two goals which got us up and running. It is nice when that happens but sometimes it goes for you and other times it doesn’t. It went our way this time.”