Ashington interim Paul Dunn reflects on positives despite Consett defeat

Ashington interim manager Paul Dunn said he was gutted for his players and the club after they went down 2-1 at home against Consett on Saturday.

But Dunn also added that there were a lot of positives to take from the display, and that he is in a confident mood as he prepares the Colliers’ squad for Saturday’s clash against Ossett United at Woodhorn Lane.

Speaking after the final whistle, he said: “Obviously the result against Consett wasn’t what we had hoped for because we wanted to come in and get a result.

“With everything which happened during the week, we can’t fault the lads’ efforts and I’m just disappointed for them and the club. They’ve stuck together and have responded to everything that Liam [Bridcutt, interim assistant manager] and myself have asked for. In training Liam has put on a couple of really good sessions and the lads have trained with intensity and with intent, which showed us that there is quality in the squad.”

He continued: “Today we asked them to do a few things, including a lot of which was non-tactical and they did it. I thought the work rate at times was excellent. The lads stuck together and their levels of concentration were better - and it was nice to go in at half time 1-0 up.

“However, I’m gutted for them in terms of what happened in the second half. I think we now know where we need to work with the group in terms of getting over this little 15-20 minutes spell, which is natural when you are holding onto a lead at times and considering that confidence hasn’t been particularly high. We just need to try and instil that belief and switch the mindset around to get them up the pitch a little bit more.”

Dunn added: “We had a lead and something to hold onto. Goalkeeper Matty [Alexander] has pulled off a few good saves and they [Consett] were just starting to create a couple of chances after I thought a lot of the earlier opportunities were from distance which was alright.

“But it’s that mental concentration which is needed across the whole game and unfortunately when confidence has been at a bit of a low, it’s natural they will drop off and it’s something to work on. I think there are a lot of positives to take but now we’ve got to really make sure we go again next week and I think three points is certainly achievable after today’s performance.”