Interim head coach Calum McFarlane admitted that many players last night lacked the intensity and energy to compete for 90 minutes at the very end of a grueling two seasons of no-break football. It wasn’t for a lack of trying; we simply have little left in the tank at this point. So we had to pick our spots, out battles, and make them count as well.
Thankfully, we produced just enough telling moments of quality to beat Tottenham Hotspur once again. Like clockwork. Our two-nil unfortunately didn’t
last long, which set up a slightly nervy finish, but Spurs were far from their best as well and we would see out the 2-1 win without too much issue (last-ditch Jorrel Hato block tackle aside).
“It was obvious from minute one that we didn’t, at times, have the energy and the intensity that we needed. We had it in patches, it was always going to be tough with the turnaround from the cup final. The physical and psychological load that that put on us, we knew that was going to be the case.
“[We] just needed to dig in for the result. I thought we’d done well at the end [and] it was a real team performance. […] There were lads out there tonight that were dead on their feet. But the crowd and the enthusiasm and the drive from the crowd […] just push a little bit extra.”
-Calum McFarlane; source: Football.London
The crowd may not have stuck around in too many numbers for the lap of appreciation after the match, but the atmosphere was great during the match, just as it was at Wembley. Vibes have not been great for much of the season, but there’s promise of a better future — a future that may yet involve either Europa League or Conference League football, too, depending on how things go on the final day.
