Abbo Pleased with Second Half Performance
Hinckley AFC manager Carl Abbott was pleased with his side’s second half performance as they recorded their fourth league win in five beating Pershore Town.
After an uneventful first half, the game’s solitary goal came from Justin Nisbett on the hour, and Abbott was pleased with the way his side responded after half time. He said: ‘The first half wasn’t great, but there were certain factors, like the wind and the pitch, which is dead now, and I thought the players looked a bit leggy.
‘The second half saw us play with more tempo and a bit more intent to play forward and squeeze things. It was a good result.’
The former Wolves Casuals boss also commented on the change of luck that his side have had in recent weeks, coinciding with the upturn in form.
‘I still maintain that there isn’t much different now than in weeks gone by. We’re still making the odd mistake: today there was a situation where one of their midfielders has got the ball in the middle of the park and there’s no pressure on him. We’ve maintained a high line and they’ve got in behind us.
‘But we haven’t been punished for it, and earlier on in the season that was a certain goal. There were a couple of saves from Sam (Arnold), but I don’t think there was an awful lot different. It’s just that thing that I didn’t believe in (luck) has turned for us, and we’ll see where we go from here.’
The last twenty minutes saw the return of Marco Adaggio. The striker hasn’t played since 20th September due to a dislocated shoulder, but Abbott says that he will be carefully managed in his return to full fitness.
‘We don’t want to put too much pressure on Marco as he’s been out for a long time now, and he didn’t have a great pre-season being out in Australia. But we’re glad he’s back.
‘He’s a hell of a player at this level, or at any level. We’ll manage him back into the side and he’s sure to play a big part for us in where we go from here.’
As long as Hinckley keep putting the results on the board, the league table will look after itself, according to the manager.
‘I’ve not looked at the league table since the second or third game of the season, and it’s become irrelevant really. Only good results will affect that start we had, and we’re starting to address that now.
‘We’ll just keep putting some points on the board and see where we are the other side of Christmas. We can’t be expecting much from the season because we did so much damage early on, but I still think that we can make things interesting.
‘I said at the start of the season that we want to be competitive in the league, and we will be, and we’re looking good in the county cup. I still think that we can have a good season.
‘One thing that I did feel responsible for at the start of the season, along with the players, was the Uttoxeter game, where we had 200 plus, and then we had a dip in form.
‘I said to the boys that we’re affecting the growth of the club, and I probably pay more attention to our attendances than the league table at the moment.
‘The important thing is that we keep doing our bit, and if we do I’m convinced that the support will grow. We’re beginning to do our bit now, and hopefully the attendances will get back to that 200 mark.’
