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Johnson's delight as red-hot Radcliffe edge seven-goal thriller
Radcliffe joint-manager Anthony Johnson has lauded his side for the way they overcame a number of setbacks to maintain their perfect start to the new Northern Premier League season.
Free-scoring Boro left it late to beat Worksop Town 4-3 in a thriller at the Neuven Stadium, moving them eight points clear at the top of the table.
Coming up against a Tigers side that had lost just twice in seven league matches heading into the game following their promotion to Step 3, Radcliffe trailed 2-1 at a time and were also pegged back midway through the second half of what was a highly entertaining affair.
However, they found a way to snatch all three points late in the day, leaving Johnson to reminisce over a positive afternoon's work.
"It's all about results, not necessarily performance, although for large parts of the game I thought we were outstanding again," he said post-match.
"For 25/30 minutes of the second half, it was as good as we've been. We didn't take our chances [and] their big fella Hughes goes up the other end and put one in, so all of a sudden you're on the back foot.
"After being pinned back at 2-1 down and 3-3, it just shows the character in the dressing room.
"I'm delighted with the result. [Worksop} are a top side, and I really rate them."
Boro's winning goal came after two of their substitutes combined, Brad Jackson turning home Jake Thompson's low cross in the final minute of regular time.
Johnson was quick to emphasise the importance of their wider squad, with another tough game on the horizon away at Marine on Tuesday night.
"It's a squad game, that's why we rotate quite a bit," he added.
"Everyone plays their part. We felt it was the right time to make those changes, and thankfully it worked.
"We've talked this week that these two games [Worksop and Marine] wouldn't necessarily define our season because there's a long way to go, but it would show us exactly where we're at.
"I expect Worksop to be right amongst it, I really believe that.
"For large parts, we dominated. We created so many chances, scored goals again. With the amount of sheer chances that we're creating, the law of percentages tells you that you're gonna put some of them in!
"It was a really tough game, but now we've got to recover quickly because it doesn't get any harder than Marine away."
Photo credit: Darren Murphy
Coming up against a Tigers side that had lost just twice in seven league matches heading into the game following their promotion to Step 3, Radcliffe trailed 2-1 at a time and were also pegged back midway through the second half of what was a highly entertaining affair.
However, they found a way to snatch all three points late in the day, leaving Johnson to reminisce over a positive afternoon's work.
"It's all about results, not necessarily performance, although for large parts of the game I thought we were outstanding again," he said post-match.
"For 25/30 minutes of the second half, it was as good as we've been. We didn't take our chances [and] their big fella Hughes goes up the other end and put one in, so all of a sudden you're on the back foot.
"After being pinned back at 2-1 down and 3-3, it just shows the character in the dressing room.
"I'm delighted with the result. [Worksop} are a top side, and I really rate them."
Boro's winning goal came after two of their substitutes combined, Brad Jackson turning home Jake Thompson's low cross in the final minute of regular time.
Johnson was quick to emphasise the importance of their wider squad, with another tough game on the horizon away at Marine on Tuesday night.
"It's a squad game, that's why we rotate quite a bit," he added.
"Everyone plays their part. We felt it was the right time to make those changes, and thankfully it worked.
"We've talked this week that these two games [Worksop and Marine] wouldn't necessarily define our season because there's a long way to go, but it would show us exactly where we're at.
"I expect Worksop to be right amongst it, I really believe that.
"For large parts, we dominated. We created so many chances, scored goals again. With the amount of sheer chances that we're creating, the law of percentages tells you that you're gonna put some of them in!
"It was a really tough game, but now we've got to recover quickly because it doesn't get any harder than Marine away."
Photo credit: Darren Murphy
