Moore - post Vale
Last updated : 05 March 2005 By The Chairman
Ronnie Moore made an immediate impact when his new team halted the recent downward spiral towards relegation. Before the game he had said that he wanted 5 wins to guarantee safety and he got his first one in style as his team blew away Port Vale. Moore made five changes when he announced his team selection with Holden, Branston, Eyres, Kilkenny and Cooper all making comebacks.
In the 13 minute, Kilkenny almost scored a spectacular 30 yard volley but the Vale keeper tipped it over. The Latics took the lead in the 27th. minute when a David Eyres free kick was headed in by Haining. Early in the second half Kenny Cooper (pictured), playing possibly his last game for the Latics, scored two goals in two minutes to finish off the game. His first came after Kilkenny played an inch perfect pass which Cooper fired in across Vale’s stranded keeper. His second was also caused by Kilkenny after his shot was parried down to Cooper who finished in style from six yards out.
Killen was unlucky not to increase the lead after his 71st. minute shot rebounded off the cross-bar. Man of the match Kilkenny could have scored another two late on but one went across the face of the goal and the other was saved.
It didn’t really matter as the Latics are now back on track. After the game the new manager told the official site, “It was a good start, there's no doubt about that. The lads performed that way I wanted them to do. The tempo was good, we got at them, we got the goal at the right time, then Les makes a good save to keep us in the game. I think overall, we've run out comfortable winners. If anything, we could have had more goals if I'm going to criticise. But I'm nit-picking. I think it's been a tremendous result for us. It's a nervy time because we know we have to win games. We were looking before the game that we've got to win five out of 12. Now it's four out of 11 which makes it a little bit easier, but the sides we've got to play against are going to be really tough games.”
“But I'm still looking to bring somebody in. I'd like to bring in a couple of in. If I could get a couple of players in on top of what we've got, then I think we've got a good chance. The quality from the set plays is good. With David Eyres and Kilkenny's involvement in the set plays, it's really good. It was a great finish for Will to get in. I thought that the back four were outstanding, especially the two centre-halves. I thought ‘they've won everything, they've dominated their two lads’ because their two lads can be a right handful. I think that was the platform for the victory."
"Cooper took his goals well. I'm going to have a word with him, see if there's a possibility that he can stay for another month. I'd like to work with him really, ‘cause having been a forward, I think that there's a lot that the boy still has to learn. He's got good feet. He needs to be a bit more aggressive, he needs to be a bit better in the air, so I'll have a word with the Chairman and hopefully we'll be able to keep him. Kilkenny got the man of the match but I don't want to single any one person out. I thought it was a great team effort and hopefully now we can carry that on into the game against Wrexham.”
After a performance like that, I wouldn’t write off the Latics too easily. If they can get an early goal at The Racecourse we will have a ‘game on’ situation so don’t write off the slim chance of a visit to Cardiff just yet!