AHEAD of tomorrow night’s County Antrim Shield quarter-final clash with Crusaders, we spoke to Albert Watson to find out his thoughts on the upcoming game.
Speaking following a 2-0 victory over Ballyclare Comrades at the weekend, Watson had the following to say:
“[Crusaders] are obviously a very good side who always do well in cup competitions. We played them several times last season and perhaps they turned into a bit of a bogey side for ourselves, but we can improve on a few things from Saturday and go into Tuesday night and ‘go for it’ as that’s how we play. As a group, we can a win and a clean sheet [against Ballyclare] and move onto Tuesday night with confidence.”
When asked about how a positive start in the County Antrim Shield would affect the squad’s confidence, Watson added: “It’s good to get early momentum in the league and this year, the County Antrim Shield gives you the chance to do that. To get two wins under your built, we would then go into Dungannon with our tails up and the buzz of a semi-final to look forward to. But for now, we’ll focus on our next game against Crusaders which will be a massive test.
“We have to do the basics right, that’s massive. In previous games, we haven’t done the basics and it has cost us. If we do this [the basics], our style of play will come out and we will start to create more chances to win the game.
“There is a lot of players unlucky not to have started on Saturday. The Gaffer often talks about rotation and having different options, so we may see others come in as obviously Crusaders pose a different type of threat to many teams.”
Discussing the impact which supporters could have on the tie, Watson continued: “It’s massive to be back playing in front of our fans. It will be brilliant to see so many fans here and it’s a testament to everyone involved with the club for making it happen through successful test events. We will definitely be looking to use the crowd to our advantage on Tuesday night at Inver Park to go and win the game.”
