Nicky Adams on the Doncaster victory and an important game at Wycombe
In part two of our interview with Nicky Adams he talks more about the importance of the Doncaster victory ahead of a tough trip to Wycombe on Saturday.“We’ve had a bit of a mixed run recently but hopefully this will push us on again," he said. "We know we’re a really good side. When we play like we did tonight we’re a tough side to beat. A few weeks ago we sat down and had a meeting and I said I thought ourselves and Doncaster were the two best teams in the league.
“The win was massive for the dressing room. Over the last few weeks it’s been mixed, but we went to Leyton Orient and played really well. We had three draws on the bounce but we had enough chances to win them all. We’ve been disappointed in ourselves because we know what we’re about."
“We have to hold our hands up about the Blackpool game," he admitted. "The gaffer has told us the mistakes we made as a team weren’t us. We win as a team and lose as a team, so there were no individuals picked out.
"We were all disappointed but we stuck together and I think we put that right tonight. The one big thing we’ve got in that dressing room is that the lads are all together. We do a lot of things together and we stay up here in the houses together, so tonight was massive for all of us.
“The gaffer has been brilliant with us. We came in on Monday and went through it, but we didn’t dwell on it. He told us if we cut the mistakes out we’re a good side. He wanted a reaction tonight and I think he got that."
“We had a team meeting and I was one of the people who stood up and said I wasn’t happy with my performance on Saturday," he told us. "You’ve got to be honest, and especially because I set such high standards for myself and I want to win games.
"Saturday wasn’t good enough from all of us so, when the gaffer asked us what we thought, I told him I wasn’t happy with how I played.
"Sometimes it’s easy to sit there and say nothing, but I’m an honest lad. It wasn’t through lack of trying, it’s the standards I set for myself. Sometimes I can be too critical of myself because I always want to improve."
“From minute one tonight, even in the warm up, you could tell that the lads were going to give a big performance," he said. "It’s another game we’ve won 2-1 but it could have been more again. Doncaster are a good side who will be up there until the end. It’s a massive win for us and we need to kick on now.
“I’ve got a lot of friends in other teams in this league and they’ve been giving me a little bit of stick and saying they think we’ve gone and had a wobble.
"We’re not gone, you’ve seen that tonight. Everyone goes on about how good a side Doncaster are, which is why they're top of the league, but so are we. I thought we were the much better team at times tonight. That performance was the same as we were playing in the first 20 games, we were at them and we didn’t give them a minute’s peace."
On the return of fellow midfielder Mike Jones following a two-month absence, he said: "Mike coming back is massive for us. He’s so calm on the ball. We have a good relationship, I know where he’s going to play the ball, so I’m always in a position for him to pass it.
"Everyone was fantastic tonight. Big Proc [Jamie Proctor] is a massive handful and he’s filled the gap Charlie [Wyke] left. He’s a big threat and you’ve got Jabo [Ibehre] coming on and causing havoc as well. We’ve got some good players who didn’t even get on the pitch tonight so we're in a good place."
“The last 15 games are huge now but we’re ready and all looking forward to it," he told us. “Wycombe are another good side with some good players so it will be another good test for us.
"They’ve got the big fella Akinfenwa up front ... but he isn’t as strong as me! They’ve got a good manager so he’ll have them at it.
"It’s a tough test for us but tonight’s game is a massive confidence boost for us. We’ve got some big games coming up and I’m really excited. I think everyone should be because this is going right to the end. Everyone involved should be proud and looking forward to the challenge.
“There’s nothing to fear going into any game. There are no excuses from us. When we aren’t at it we’re honest and the gaffer makes sure we know we weren’t at it. We don’t dwell on things, you can’t, because the games are too important.
"We’ve had a bit of a blip but we’ve only lost four games all season. The big games are the ones you want to be involved in and get your teeth into. I think in our next four games we play three teams in the top seven, so we’ll have to be at it.
"I think what you saw tonight is what we’re all about. If we play like that we won’t go far wrong."
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Click HERE to read part one of this interview.
