Football: Cousins wants Yate to keep up momentum (From Gazette Series)

Reaction from Yate Town boss Rob Cousins after 2-0 win over Mangotsfield

9:19am Thursday 5th January 2012 in Yate and Sodbury Sport By Rob Iles

YATE TOWN boss Rob Cousins has set his sights on catching Mangotsfield in the Southern League Division One South & West table after their 2-0 derby win at Cossham Street on Monday.

The Bluebells have finished below their local rivals in the last two seasons, but moved to within six points of them after a Dave Stone brace gave them their sixth victory in the last eight games, and Cousins hopes they can continue their remarkable rise up the league.

“Mangotsfield are in a higher position than we are at the moment, but that’s where we want to be challenging and beyond,” he said.

“We are building all the time. Our performances have picked up and we’ve got the right personnel in.

“It was going to take time for them to gel, but they are showing the experience they have from playing at a higher level and that’s what we want to attract.

“We’re trying to get the balance right and keep to the budget restraints, but the board have backed us and it all bodes well.

“We’re still playing catch up, so as much as we’ve achieved in the last seven or eight weeks there is still a long way to go, but the momentum is with us now and that’s what we want to continue.”

Cousins questioned whether the game should have gone ahead beforehand as heavy rain caused slippery conditions on a muddy pitch, but he praised the way his players handled it.

“They (Mangotsfield) were very keen to get the game on because the pitch was going to be heavy,” said Cousins.

“We like to pass and move, and maybe they questioned our desire and physical presence. I think they under-estimated us a bit on that basis.

“We dug deep when we had to and took the two goals well, but it could’ve been more.”

Cousins believes the conditions led to the tackle that saw midfielder Mark Badman sent off, with Mangotsfield captain Geraint Bater also receiving a red card for his reaction.

“The referee’s got to take those sort of challenges into consideration,” he said.

“He was happy to play the game with the conditions as they were and you’re going to get sliding tackles when people have a bad touch and slide in to try and nick it.

“Whether it was a bit high I don’t know, but obviously you can’t raise your hands like Geraint did in the melee.”

Cousins made a rare appearance himself at centre-back when he came on at half-time to replace skipper Edd Vahid, who pulled his hamstring and looks set to be out for a few weeks.

Scott Thomas (ankle) may take his place for the trip to Halesowen on Saturday (3pm) if he recovers from the ankle injury sustained against Clevedon on Boxing Day, but Adie Adams will remain out for about three weeks after the utility player suffered neck and chest injuries from a bad car crash.