Competition

Date

Saturday 3rd October 2009

More than a feeling as nine-man Marine triumph

By Sam Morshead » Swindon Advertisier

 

Swindon Supermarine boss Mark Collier has urged his players to “remember the feeling” after their hard-fought 1-0 win over Chippenham Town on Saturday. The Hunts Copse boss was full of praise for his charges after sealing their first ever league success over the Bluebirds. “Before the game we asked for unity and mental strength and that is what we got,” said Collier. “In front of a partisan crowd, in the circumstances that we found ourselves in, the boys gave everything and full credit must go to them.

 

“There was a buzz in the dressing room before the game and I had a really good feeling about it. It was a terrific result.” “We’ve told the guys to remember the feeling of how good it is to win away from home and how bad the feeling is to lose.” Ashley Edenborough’s controversial 12-minute goal sealed the visitors’ first victory since the opening day. The striker appeared offside when he connected onto Danny Allen’s long free-kick - but Collier played down the claims.

 

He said: “I don’t think anyone appealed at the time. “I spoke to Adie (Mings) after the game and he didn’t really talk about it. “Ashley came from the touchline and was really wide at first so that may have made him look offside.”

 

 

Marine battled for 60 minutes with nine men after Alan Griffin and Danny Allen were sent off along with Bluebird Shaun Lamb following an 18-man brawl, although Collier insists the referee’s reaction exaggerated the scale of the incident. “Alan Griffin got a bit involved with their keeper. It was just a lot of handbags,” said the Marine chief. “Then there were handbags between 18 or 19 players and the referee saw it fit to send off three. “I find it unbelievable that he managed to see three people deserving of red cards.

“Common sense should have prevailed but knowing the rules and the game are two different things.” After the first-half incident, Supermarine showed a solidarity and togetherness in defence that has been lacking so far this term. And Collier was thrilled to see his team working as one. He said: “When we got in the dressing room at half-time we told the lads that it was 10 against nine not 11 against nine. “After the break we defended very well. We sat back, waited and asked them to pick us off. But they didn’t manage to do that. Matty (Bulman) only had two or three saves to make in total.

 

Marine host Hemel Hempstead on Wednesday. And the Southern League club will be eager to use Saturday’s result as a springboard to resuscitate their season. “It’s good to get another game straight away,” said Collier. “If we show the commitment and desire there is no doubt in my mind that we’ll get the points.”

 

From a Bluebirds perspective ~ Match Report from the club's website and another from the Wilts Gazette