Shaun Derry looks back on the 2-1 defeat at home to Rochdale on Tuesday evening...
Notts County Manager Shaun Derry was under no illusions as to the size now facing his side if they are to turn their season around and climb away from the relegation zone in Sky Bet League one, after a disappointing 2-1 defeat at home to Rochdale.
Having gone into the game on the back of a battling 1-1 draw with Bradford City at the weekend, Notts took the lead against Rochdale on the half hour mark, through Garry Thompson, but an Ian Henderson equaliser five minutes later and a second half winner from Peter Vincenti saw all three points go to the visitors.
Speaking after the game, Derry admitted that the defeat had dragged his side deep into a relegation battle, but also reiterated his determination to turn things around over the final weeks of the season.
“We’ve spoke about that before the game,” the Notts boss said afterwards. “Win tonight’s game and it’s a final 10 games where you can really go and deliver. Lose tonight and you’re really in a relegation fight and I think that’s where we are at this moment in time.
“I think the run of results that we’ve had, albeit sometimes you can throw a little bit of bad luck in there, but there’s no point in making excuses, we had enough chances out there in that first half tonight to put it to bed and we didn’t and that’s been the story of our season,” he added.
“Especially since the end of November, December time, we’ve had enough opportunities to win games of football, we’ve not put it to bed and we find ourselves in a real dogfight now.
“I think certain people have got to look at themselves in the mirror and say can I give anymore. I’m not going to name any names because it’s not right, because we are all in it together and ultimately at the end of the day you all get the benefits at the end of the season when it goes well and I’m absolutely determined it’s going to go well.”
Asked if this season’s finale was looking as perilous as last year, when Notts survived only on the last day of the campaign, Derry was quick to point out that his side’s destiny is very much in their own hands this time around.
“Obviously, with 10 games to play last season we were absolutely rooted at the bottom of the league and we’re not, we’re very much in a pack of about six or seven teams, but it’s as important to me, of course it is, it’s as important to this football club and everybody who follows it,” he continued.
“So it’s up to me, it’s up to Greg and it’s up to the players now to really stand up and be counted. I think there’s been some soul-searching going on for a number of weeks now.
“We’ve had a difficult two and a half, three months, for various reasons and at the end of the season we’ll have to address that, but between now and the end of the season it is in our hands and it’s up to us to deliver certain levels of performance that gets us out of the trouble and performances, on the whole, over the course of 90 minutes, like tonight, won’t get us that success.”
Subscribers can watch the full post-match interview with Shaun Derry on Magpie Player.