Message from Mick - same old story we gave it our all but were not good enough (again)

Dear Coxhoe Branch,

I've no arguments about the sending off. It's two silly challenges. Sometimes you get a severe reprimand instead of a red card in that situation - I've seen players get that - but I'm not going to defend it.
It has changed the game because I thought we had started well.
We played well with 10 men. We played better with 10 men today than we did with 11 men on Tuesday. Perhaps it's a ploy we should use more often.
I wanted Wrighty on the pitch; I wanted to shake things up a bit and he's been terrific in training but perhaps he got found out a bit because he has been out for so long.
I thought we had nicked a point. Apart from a header from [Dean] Ashton they've not had any real attempts on goal, so I thought it was going to be our day.
Our lads have given gutsy displays all season. It might turn out that we've not been good enough; but what has never been in question is the workrate and pride in the shirt and the club, and that was in evidence today.
I've never had a cause to dig them [the players] out for that.
It was a remarkable performance by Kevin Kyle, considering how long he has been out. He put in a shift against those two centre-backs - and came back for every corner.
It's pleasing to see him back; his all-round performance was great and he'll get goals.
I've just said to the players that not one of them should start to feel sorry for themselves because that will get us nowhere. It's a tough time but you get it in football. I've been there.
You think losing a game like that is a failure and it's a piece of nonsense.
If it turns out we're not good enough, we'll just keep plugging away, trying to make it as pleasurable as we possibly can by playing like that.
There's a good team spirit here and it's fostered by all of us. It's vital. We would not have been promoted last season without that.
I've seen teams in our position fall apart. We've not fallen apart and we're not digging at each other.
We didn't come up for the jolly-up and to enjoy it; we came up to do better than we've done; but considering the knockbacks they've had, to keep going as well as they have, it's a good group of guys.

All the best,


Mick