On Tuesday evening, Walsall Football Club first-team coach Richard O'Kelly took charge of a young Saddlers XI as they faced Rugby Town in the First Round of this season's Birmingham Senior Cup.
Following the game, which Walsall won on penalties, O'Kelly spoke to the club's official website, and was full of praise for his side as they showed plenty of resilience to secure the win.
Speaking via Saddlers.co.uk, he said; “It was first class. Rugby Town were very well organised, competitive and they gave us a real test. It was interesting to see how we coped, athletically, tactically and in the end emotionally when it came to penalties.
“There were periods in second half where we were under lot of pressure. Dan Jezeph and Matt Preston marshalled the defence tremendously well and we managed to keep a clean sheet which is always pleasing.
“When you look at the last fifteen minutes of the game, both teams were tiring. We had a lot of youngsters out there who have played over the weekend but we stuck together and stayed organised. I don’t think we passed the ball as much as we wanted but our resilience showed to stay in the game.
“Jordan Murphy was probably our biggest threat all night. Eventually though, it came down to penalties and Dan’s made two saves, one of them was outstanding. You really have to see it!
“And Jordan Sangha’s had the composure to win it with his penalty going in off the post. So a great experience for the players and to come through penalties where there’s a little bit more pressure will have added to their experience even more."
SOURCE | WALSALL FOOTBALL CLUB