Notts County’s draw with Bradford City was the confidence boost that the team needed, says first team manager Shaun Derry.
Following much-improved performances against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Shrewsbury Town, the Magpies finally gained a point after an intense battle with the Play-Off chasing Bantams.
Gary Liddle’s first ever goal for the club gave County a half time lead at the Coral Windows Stadium but Mark Yeates came off the bench to ensure that City split the points.
Bradford threatened to take all three as they applied a lot of pressure, especially in the dying stages after Notts had gone down to 10 men.
However, Derry’s side gave everything they had so that the boss gained his first point since taking over at Meadow Lane earlier this month.
“That’s three performances on the bounce for me and I keep saying to them that if they put the graft, determination, effort and horrible hard work, they’ll get the rewards,” he said.
“They got just that and I’m so proud of them – so, so proud of the team.
“I think that this result enables the players to believe in themselves.”
He added: “I’m really proud and it’s a great occasion for me because I thought the first points were never going to be coming, especially the way we played the last two games.
“I’m delighted with the manner that they came because we were on the back foot for a large number of minutes and I think we can gain a lot of confidence from that.
“There’s going to be numerous occasions where it’s going to be backs against the wall and that’s how I expect us to defend and that’s how I expect us to approach the game.”
For full post-match reaction, sign in to Magpie Player.
Join us for the Notts v Brentford encounter at Meadow Lane this coming Saturday, 30 November.
Full ticket details can be found by clicking here.