Posted: Sun 5th May 2013

Post Match Thoughts From Manager Morrell

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This article is old - Published: Sunday, May 5th, 2013

A deflated Andy Morrell has spoken of his pride at the effort of his valiant side, as they fell to a late Newport County double in the final of the Blue Square Bet Premiership play off.

“I am hurting and disappointed but immensely proud of my players,” said Morrell. “I thought they were fantastic today, we created some decent chances but just couldn’t take them.

“It wasn’t our day today but I thought we played all the football.”

“It was cagey first half and I thought we got stretched a little bit in the second half. I warned the players all week that they put it forward and play in behind you, and we dealt with it fantastically well for 85 minutes.”

“They do it so often that they are going to get one chance and that is the way it turned out.”

“When you have got someone like Jolley, he is probably the difference between them going up and not.”

Ormerod challenges for the ball.

Ormerod challenges for the ball.


Morrell admitted that the enormity of what was at stake had contributed to a cagey first half.

“I think it was because there was so much at stake, there’s a chance to go back into the Football League”, said the player-manager.

“When you have got that, you don’t want to just throw it away going gung-ho for the first 20 minutes and find youself 3-0 down. We have been there and done it in previous semi-finals.

“We played some good stuff and I knew that was going to be the case. If we got it down and passed it we could open them up and we did that.

“We just didn’t have that finish to trouble the goalkeeper and I am just gutted really.

With The Dragons now facing a sixth season in the Conference, Morrell will be left to pick up the pieces for a second year in a row as his side fell just short of promotion.

But, he retains faith that his players will give it their all again next season.

“We go again, we are getting used to it. It is a horrible feeling and I don’t think we have got any choice, have we?

“We have got to get our heads together over the next couple of days, speak to the board and speak to staff, and see what we are going to do and which way we are going to go.

“But it is going to take some doing again.

“It’s been a good season but not a great season obviously. It would have been nice to be capped off today but it just wasn’t our day.”

Morrell maintained that there was little difference between the two sides, before acknowledging that Morrell’s miss from six yards out in the second half was the defining moment of the game.

“We created some good chances. Brett will look back on his chance as probably the key moment in the game.

“He apologised in there but he has been great and he was good again today. It wasn’t just him.”

The make up of the squad come August is one that will be debated over the coming weeks, and Morrell revealed that there will be imminent talks between the management and directors on how to take the club to the next tier.

“I have got an idea but finances will tell you whether I can or I can’t.

“We will speak over the next couple of days, I don’t want to be making decisions now when my head is spinning.”

Defeat this afternoon marks the third season in a row where Wrexham have fallen short at the play off stage, though making the final this season signals a progression from the previous two.

Morrell admits that it will, again, be a challenge to lift the group, but will take inspiration from the way the club has battled back in recent years.

“We will tackle it the same way we have tackled it for the past three years.

“I don’t think we have been too far off but we have got to go again. We have had to wrap lads in cotton wool for the past month or so because of injuries and they have given everything again today.

“It just didn’t fall on our side this time unfortunately.”



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