Interview | Nerves of Steel for Pinchard

Harry Pinchard displayed nerves of steel to step up and convert a 92^nd minute penalty to give City a big three points against Sholing on Saturday as we further strengthened our position amongst the leading pack.

With the scoreline locked at 1-1 as the game edged in to added time at the end, a foul on Soporuchukwu Obieri provided Pinchard with the opportunity to secure a dramatic victory and in doing so inflict only the second defeat of the season on our opponents in their opening ten League games.

“There’s always nerves involved with taking any penalty,” Pinchard admitted. “Even more so when it’s so late in such a big game where things are finely balanced.

“We knew how important it was to get the three points against a Sholing side who have started the season strongly, so it was a relief to see the ball hit the back of the net!

“I thought we put in a good, controlled performance overall against opponents who have plenty of quality throughout their team and are going to be right up there come the end of the season.

“We had a lot of the ball and they had problems dealing with our shape. We had some big chances that we failed to capitalise upon and you do start to wonder if it’s going to be your day as the clock ticks down.

“But we stuck to our task to get our reward in the end. It was two good sides battling it out and we pretty much cancelled each other out, but I always felt that we were the ones most likely to nick the game and so it proved.”

It’s a quick turnaround as we find ourselves back in action on Monday with a trip to a Bracknell Town outfit who have made a stuttering start to the campaign with just one win from nine and go into Monday’s encounter on the back of a 1-0 reverse at Plymouth Parkway at the weekend.

“It’ll be a tough game despite our hosts currently sitting at the foot of the table,” Pinchard continued. “They’re probably in a false position for the players they’ve got and we’re expecting a difficult challenge, particularly with a quick turnaround from what was such an intense game on Saturday.

“But we’ll prepare as we do for every team; the Gaffer will come up with a game plan and we’ll go there determined to get all three points.”

Having secured the Young Player of the Season award last term, Pinchard is pleased with how the current campaign has started for him.

“From a personal point of view, I’m happy with how things are going so far,” he added. “As a team we’ve adapted well and quickly to how the Gaffer wants us to play, although I still feel that we’ve got levels to go.

“There’s big players coming back from injury, with Ben Richards Everton and Aaron Wildig getting some valuable minutes, and that will only make us stronger. Hopefully I can continue making a valuable contribution.

“We’ve got plenty to be positive about here and the fans really do make a difference. Their backing is so important to us and we’ve got to keep repaying them with results and performances.

“By doing this, hopefully the numbers will continue to rise and with everyone working together we can continue to move towards where we want to be on and off the pitch.”

If you are unable to make it along to the SB Stadium on Monday, the game is being screened live by Clubber TV, and will be shown in the bar here at New Meadow Park, so come and join us!