RUSSELL: PLEASED TO SIGN OFF WITH HOME WIN

 

“I think we made life a bit more difficult for ourselves, conceding that goal after half-time,” he said. “We continued to create opportunities all afternoon, but we lapsed a bit in picking up crosses coming into the box at times.

 

“Eoin Doyle was pleading with me to take those penalties, so we’re delighted that he put both of them away. I was pleased with Matty Kennedy this afternoon; some may forget that he’s still only twenty. Doyle and Joe Mason aren’t doing themselves any harm ahead of next season, and that’s with another game to go. They’re getting better as a partnership, there’s no doubt about that.

 

“I’m delighted Joe got himself a goal today. One of my first decisions since coming here was to bring Joe back in the January window, because that’s how much he means to me. Joe Ralls took one on the hip which was progressively getting tighter and tighter. That’ll take a few days to cool down, so we’ll wait until midweek to decide whether he’ll be involved at Nottingham Forest.

 

“I thought we moved the ball quite well at times. It got nervy when it became 3-2 with a few seconds to go, but I don’t think there was any doubt that we were going to get the three points as soon as we got ourselves in front. 

 

“We put Nicky Maynard on, who’s not had much time on the pitch all season, and Anthony Pilkington is back involved now, so those are two more positives going into the preparation for next season. If we can hit the ground running and be positive for the new season, we can make the most of a fresh start. We want to ensure that our recruiting is very strong, and I think that if we get our targets that we can get off to a positive start, and challenge for that top six.”