Robinson happy with 'grit and determination' of squad

The nine-men of Thatcham secured a point away to Melksham

THATCHAM Town manager Danny Robinson praised his side’s efforts after they held out for a 1-1 draw at Melksham Town on Saturday, despite being reduced to nine men.

Scott Rees and Felipe Barcelos were both dismissed in their Southern League Division 1 South fixture, and as a result they had to play more than 30 minutes with two men short.

With the scores level at the time, Robinson was delighted to see his side hold on for a vital point.

He said: “We showed resilience, guts and determination to get a point and I can only admire my players because they put an absolute shift in.

“The FA Vase side was quality, but this side has a little bit more of an edge to it, with grit and determination and character.

“We stuck together for 35 minutes and everyone put their bodies on the line and I am very pleased with that aspect.”

However, Thatcham have picked up four red cards in seven games and Robinson wants this to change.

He said: “I’ve never seen any of my sides go down to nine men before, but we put ourselves in that situation.”

The point leaves Thatcham unbeaten after seven games and Robinson feels the squad is improving each week.

He said: “When you go away from home you have to make sure that you’re hard to beat and at the moment the team togetherness is absolutely amazing.

“We have some very strong characters in the changing room who don’t accept losing and it’s rubbing off on the other players.”

This Saturday, Thatcham return to the Stacatruc Stadium when they host Larkhall Athletic (3pm).

Robinson believes that another good performance at home will help his side continue to fight it out at the top of the league.

He said: “If you can pick up points away from home and win your home games, you will be there or thereabouts.

“We didn’t have good home form last year, but we have started very well this time round so hopefully that can continue.”