CN: Strong in the first half today, scored the first goal, it feels like we've been here before this season and couldn’t confirm the three points in the end, how did you see the game?

LA: Exactly as that, game was two halves, by far the better side in the first half, felt at half-time, we should have been more than one up, not necessarily through the chances, but the chances to make chances.

I think we scored our hardest pass through the lines and a good finish, but there's one before that where Kev can score it for an open goal. We've gone through a couple of times and that last pass was poor, so we just needed to calm down in those important moments.

Same as the Corby game, came in 1-0, fairly comfortable as far as it goes.

I think they'd had one shot on target in the first 20 seconds from our stupid play. You're comfortable as it can be for 1-0, but obviously you know that it's a dangerous scoreline. We wanted to go out and start the second half, I think the first five minutes of the second half were okay.

They've scored with their first shot on target, and it comes from us not clearing the lines. Every manager will pick fault in goals that they concede because that's your job, but the goals we have conceded in the criminal at the minute, I'm sick of us shanking balls. As soon as the team has put it up a notch on us, we lose composure in defence and we start hacking at stuff, we start shoving stuff out of play and we've got to be braver.

I don't mean brave popping five-yard passes in tight spaces but just be willing to go and get the game by the scruff of the neck, make good decisions, put it in good areas, and manage the game properly. I think that probably comes with the fact that we've not been on a massively great run. We're doing alright, we're hanging in there, but we're just disappointed because we feel like it's another two points dropped.

By the end, we could have gone and won it, but we've had two really good chances from set pieces. Both headers have gone an inch wide, but they'll feel like they could have nicked it at the end as well. So, you just take the point, take nothing away from them.

They cranked it up at half-time and they're the better team second half. But obviously, we're only focused on ourselves and we're disappointed with our second-half output.

CN: Overall, after a difficult run, there must be a lot of positives though as well. Wellingborough, who I think beat Carlton today and winning that game last week, 3-1 down there and then not losing today, shoots of recovery.

LA: Yes, listen to me, recovery makes it sound like we've lost ten on the spin. But I think, again, it comes down to the standards we've set.

I don't know if we're second or third now, but we're up and around it for a reason. It's a marathon, not a sprint or the rest of it. You're going to have ups and downs in a season, other than Carlton.

They've been ultra-consistent, everybody else, as I said, I think before Wellingborough, the play-off race stretches down to probably 13th or 14th place. Everyone's beating everyone.
I did say last week, don't underestimate the size of that win because although

Wellingborough are around about 10th place, with the recruitment they've done and the players they've brought in, they're a top four, top five side. Whether they finish there or not is another story. But that's the quality we were up against last week and we managed the game really well.

That was the difference today. The game was stretched, it was open, a game of ping-pong. And again, we needed more composure.

I just said to the players there, the disappointment for my side is that I'm having to make negative changes in the game. I don't want Diego coming off. But when the game gets ugly and we stop getting a foot on the ball and we're just turning, smashing things forward, Diego's not your man for that.

So, we have to play horses for courses. At that point, you try and put Liam up there. He's a bit bigger, he might win a few more up top.

He will run in behind a bit more if you turn him. But I'm making negative changes to plug gaps because we're getting overrun and that shouldn't happen. We're a fit side, so it's not down to fitness.

It's down to game management. It's down to focus, attention to detail, chat, communication, all the basics. And I think we're just frustrated.

Obviously, I'm doing this interview two minutes after I've just done my team talk. So, it's difficult for me to put it into words really and try and remain calm about everything because we're just falling below where we want to be. And that's because we've got high expectations and high standards.

And listen, there's twenty teams that would have swapped places with us, so it's not drastic. And we took a point against a team that are fifth. So, we keep that gap to them.

But I think it's just the fact we were in front again and second half, we've not performed to the same level as we did in the first half.

CN: And just finishing, next two fixtures obviously couldn't really be much more difficult, Carlton, and then Anstey, has today given you thoughts for any changes you might make to the team?

I don't know. I mean, listen, we're better against better teams. I'm absolutely fine playing Carlton and Anstey and Rugby and all these because we've had it here where we've let ourselves down against what you class as a team should be. And I know it's never that easy, but fans are never, you know, don't like saying that.

But it's the truth. You know, I don't know how Bedworth finished today, but they were winning 2-0 at half-time today. These games are tough.

That's why the first goal is so important. And when we got it today and when we got it against Corby, I thought, right, we're in a good position now. Let's do things right, make good decisions.

And, yes, I just think we're a little bit vulnerable unless we go and get the second and the third. And we need to stamp that out, because even if we manage to get to the playoffs at the end of the season, we're going to have difficult games and we're going to manage them. And we did last week and we didn't this week.

And that's the consistency we keep talking about. And listen, I know I'm going back a long way here, but I remember early days in the season when we were at the top. And I think I said to you, we're a good side, we're not a top side.

And I still see things like today where I think we lose control of games too easily. And no matter what changes you make, you bring Lewis Austin in there to get his foot on the ball and try and control it a little bit. It doesn't really make an impact.

And we were misplacing basic five-yard passes, and it just went ragged. And at that point at the end, listen, it was punch for punch. Two drunk boxers.

Someone tried to land the knockout. No-one managed it. And we take a point and we have to move on.

Lee Attenborough was talking to Chris Nelson.