Royle Praises Magnificent Defending

Last updated : 19 December 2005 By Russell Claydon
Town took all three points at Sheffield Wednesday, after a draw looked certain, with a goal from Nicky Forster in the 87th minute, following a knock-down from Jason De Vos. Royle said: "There was a lot of aerial stuff to defend and I thought we defended magnificently. I thought Jason De Vos and Richard Naylor were magnificent. When we defend properly, as we did, it gives us a great chance.

"It's been a long time since we kept a clean sheet and that and the three points are the important factors for us from the game.

"If we can defend like that every week then it's gives us a great chance to get something out of the game.

"I thought we shaded it. We tried to play passing football, but it was hard because the pitch at Hillsborough isn't the greatest these days.

"These tight games have gone against us in the past, so it's nice to get the all-important goal."

Owls manager, Paul Sturrock, emphathized the precarious situation Wednesday now find themselves in. He asked for his players to 'dig in', following another home game with nothing to show for: "We're in a dog-fight. We hoped it wouldn't be but it will be a tussle to the end of the season.

"I tried to warn everybody at the start - and I think everyone knows that now.

"It's going to be muck and mire right to the end. If we let this fester and we're not all together, it will get worse instead of better," he said.