JAMES ANDERSON hailed Woodley United’s character to bounce back from extra time heartbreak against Binfield.
The Kestrels more than matched the hosts during Friday night’s Hellenic League Cup clash, but were beaten 1-0 by an extra time Gary Smith winner.
And they had just two days to pick themselves up before welcoming title challenging Thatcham Town to the Rivermoor on Monday night in the Hellenic Premier Division.
But it was another spirited display which was rewarded with a point when Michael Porter popped up to grab a stoppage time equaliser in a 1-1 draw with the Kingfishers.
“It shows the strength of the lads,” Anderson told The Wokingham Paper.
“They’ve got great character and real commitment to one another to keep going for 120 minutes on Friday and then 90 plus on Monday.
“They were really doing it for each other and fighting for each other which was great to see.
“I certainly felt over the last few games our performances have deserved more than what we’ve got at the end of it.
“It was really pleasing to get a point against Thatcham, which we felt was thoroughly deserved.”
It has been a busy week for Anderson since replacing Michael Herbert as manager two weeks ago.
His results have been mixed with a win, a draw and two defeats during the hectic schedule.
And he says performances as well as results have given everyone a boost.
“It gives us real confidence,” said the boss.
“It’s definitely going in the right direction.
“There’s still stuff I think we can improve. I certainly think we should look to tighten up in certain areas but I’m really enjoying it.
“The leaders in the group have really stepped up and are really contributing.
“It’s not a one man show and the senior players are contributing much more on the pitch and off the pitch in the changing room.
“With their help and certainly the strength of character we’ve got in this team, I think we’re going to do alright.”
Monday evening saw a first start for Sam Guze after his impressive record of scoring seven goals in seven games for the reserve side.
And Anderson is hoping other players can follow his example.
“That’s the real strength of the club really,” he said.
“If we’ve got other players who are missing through injury, it’s great to go down and get players from the reserves who have been playing the same system, the same shape week in, week out.
“They can just slot in seamlessly in the first team.
“I hope that sets a precedent really for the rest of the lads in the reserve team who know that if they play well and come up to the first team, they’ll get their chance to make the place their own.”
With 12 games played, Woodley currently sit just inside the relegation zone on 10 points.
But Anderson says the Kestrels are on course to reach their goal.
“The target for us was always to survive,” he admitted.
“I think 30 points has been mooted as a rough goal to aim for that. That’s certainly our target.
“But if you look at the teams we’ve played, we’ve played Thatcham twice, Flackwell twice, Bracknell and Wantage.
“They’re the teams that are going to be there or thereabouts at the end of the season.
“We’re looking forward to the games against the teams around us.
“If we play the same way that we’ve been playing in these games against those teams then I’d certainly expect us to pick up some points.”
