A 48-hour turnaround is never ideal at any time, but I think Monday’s FA Trophy replay victory at Mangotsfield showed just how hard we have worked on our fitness this season.
After Saturday’s draw, we talked to the players about looking after themselves on Saturday night and doing a little bit of work on Sunday so that they would be ready to go on Monday.
We had an extra physio in on Saturday for a few post-match rubs and treatment and it paid off.
We looked pretty strong throughout the game, even though nine of them had also played on Saturday.
We pride ourselves on being a fit side because we play a high-energy game and we’re reaping the rewards of our pre-season work.
It also showed when we went down to nine men against 11 against Poole the other week.
It was an excellent win at Mangotsfield on a difficult pitch against a side with a good home record.
We showed what a good side we are, both in terms of our fitness and having made a couple of changes with Nathan Rudge and Jack Pitcher dropping out from Saturday.
Eastleigh in the next round is a fantastic draw for the players and supporters of the club and something for everybody to look forward to.
We’ve had a few difficult away draws with long trips in recent seasons so to get a team from a higher level at home is excellent for everybody concerned with the club.
Good cup games always put a few more on the gate and add a bit of extra spice and atmosphere on the day and I’ve no doubt that will be the case again, especially with the likes of Ian Herring coming back to the club.
It’s a game to look forward to, but we’ve got two league fixtures before that and, as always, that is the bread and butter.
Two good results will set us up very nicely.
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