CN: . Settling for a point after a nil-nil draw on the opening day here and a hot afternoon at Shepshed. Do you think it's a fair result in the end?

LA: I think if any team shaded it, it was us, but did we do enough to win it? Maybe not.
We're probably not delighted with the point, of course we're not, but it's never easy to come here. We knew that from last season.

They're reflecting on their manager, they're at it, they're aggressive, they chase effort down and they've got good attitudes across the Shepshed team, so we need to be guarded.

I think we've done all right, dug in there. I think defensively, real sound, real solid. I don't think we looked like conceding at all.

Keanan was excellent, Evans was immense, Rhodes was immense. Tom did well at left back, Jordan Fankwe and Jono won the battle in the field. Loads of good stuff that we're pleased with.

It's just the final touch, Tav hit of a post. We had two squirm across the line that we should have just crashed it and died to score a goal. If we do that, we win the game.

And then I think first half, Evans had one blocked at point-blank, it's fell to Graz, he's on target and they've thrown the body in front of that. So, yes, I think we probably shaded it, but we probably had to do a little bit more to win it.

CN: [i]A few people have mentioned how strong the bench was today, strongest bench we’ve had for quite a while, and obviously Mansell still suspended as well. How important is that going to be with such a busy start to the season?

LA: Yes, we know it's going to be eight games in the first month, but it's not just that. We feel like, you know, Chris, you look at the last two or three seasons, we've been top three come Christmas, and then we've had that spell where we've faded away a little bit. We've obviously asked ourselves questions why that is.

We put a finger on squad depth having been the problem there, because me and Wainy don't change the way we set up and the way we do our homework and our position and train and plan and all that. So, there's something happening around that Christmas mark the last few years that's maybe put us off course a little bit. And we've put that down to depth.

So, listen, the challenge for me is always going to be to keep people happy. That's the difficult bit because lads, they work all week, they want to play on a Saturday, but equally you're not going to do any damage with twelve or thirteen. We need sixteen who are good enough to start, seventeen, eighteen, whatever it might be.

And like today, you know, we had some real difficult decisions to make, but we made them and we felt they were the right choices based on pre-season, based on people deserving to play and attitudes and everything like that. And I think we've got, listen, if nothing else,

Chris, it's never going to be pretty on there. We know that.

And that's no disrespect to Shepshed. The pitches with obviously the weather and everything is really, really difficult. That's the hardest pitch I've probably ever seen to play on at this level.

And I thought the commitment from the players in the duels was superb. Of course, quality lacked at times, but, you know, overall, we're probably pretty pleased with that. And we know that Tuesday is going to be literally the polar opposite.

You know, you go into the Uni, the pitch is like Wembley, and it'll be a completely different game again. So, we've got to prepare for that, rest the legs and try and hit that one hard.