Taking into account the conditions and a red card, Gary Owers was proud of his team’s performance on a wet and cold afternoon in Hampshire. United played out a 1-1 draw against Eastleigh after Jamie Reid had opened the scoring from the spot, only for Cavanagn Miley to equalize in the 72nd minute.
“I felt it was a game we could have won,” said Owers. “Obviously the sending off changed the flow of the game.”
“It was a really good, aggressive, backs to the wall performance from our lads. I’m really pleased, they deserved to get something out of the game. The clock is ticking over into injury time at the death and the referee doesn’t want to blow his whistle this evening for some reason, and you just think that it might be one of those nights where they get a late goal, but they didn’t.
“We’re slightly disappointed; it’s quiet in there [the dressing room]. I think they think they could have won that game today.”
“We started really brightly and we did get on the front foot. We looked a threat going forward. Everyone knows we’re not prolific in front of goal but we’re getting into good areas and we just need to get a bit more conviction in the final third. Hopefully things can change.
“Everything I’ve asked of them today, they have given us. I remind them gently that that’s what we need – week in, week out. It’s a point away from home, so we’ll take a point. We’ll get there slowly, I’m sure.
United earned their goal after quick thinking from George Dowling and Jamie Reid presented Ruairi Keating with a run on goal. He was clipped by a defender inside the box.
“It looked like a penalty. The only question is whether – I don’t know what happens now, whether these players get sent off. Last man, they used to. I don’t understand the rule, or the interpretation anymore because it changes all the time.”
The Gaffer was pleased to see a penalty being awarded and for it to be Jamie Reid to be the one to tuck it away.
“Jamie Reid, who I thought was a thorn in their side all day stuck it away nicely. That’s the first penalty I have seen since i came here. I don’t know how many they had before that.”
United were hampered by the dismissal of George Dowling after two bookings.
“George has to learn there. You’re on a yellow card, you have to find another way of defending. You can’t take a chance and he paid the penalty and thankfully, the team didn’t because of that.
Owers took time to thank the travelling Yellow Army after the game. The conditions deteriorated throughout the ninety minutes and it would have not have been a pleasant drive home either.
“I have to say thank you to the supporters. It’s a miserable, horrible day – they’ve been fantastic. I hope they went away happy and were happy with the fight they’ve seen in in their team today, because I was.”