THE GNP SPORTS MANAGER SHAMIR ALAM REFLECTS ON HIS TEAM'S LOSS ON PENALTIES TO KNOWLE FC...

Bet you are pleased that this wasn’t a league game, what with conceding three times and not winning? 

"Cup or league, you can’t expect to concede 3 goals as a team and hope your strikers bail you out for the 14th time and yesterday was a day when despite the front 2 scoring 3 between them, it was a loss waiting to happen! I seem to be writing the same things each week and saying the same things each week and it’s not good enough..."

Bad conditions I believe? How did Knowle approach the tie?

"Knowle played the conditions better than we did; they were smart and managed the game better than us." 

Defensively, the lads are presumably not locking the gate. Your thoughts? 

"We need to ensure our league mentality, league intensity and league performances apply in cup games also." 

More goals for your strikers. That must have pleased you? 

"It means nothing if you don’t progress into the next round of the cup, does it?" 

Man of the Match? And why?

"Luke Swinnerton has been our most consistent defender; now this is a player who is playing out of position, yet week in and week out he’s the first defender that’s selected. Defending shouldn’t be difficult, it’s the ability to sniff out danger before it occurs, always think of the worst case scenario and act upon it." 

Was the officiating not good? 

"It never is at this level; sometimes it goes for you, sometimes it doesn’t. The best official this year has been the female one but it's just a shame the males use their 90 minutes of fame at Dog and Duck League Division 2 to make it about themselves." 

Next up? 

"Lane Head, which is a huge game for us in the league. It will be good to just focus on collecting those three cherries week on week and also on one game at a time. I have to take responsibility for the team selection as our form, despite winning the majority of the games, has been up and down during matches and I’m yet to see a dominating 90 minutes. Going forward, that will be addressed..."

Yours in football...

Shamir Alam, Manager, GNP Sports...