Cassidy demands more despite win

Blyth Spartans boss Tommy Cassidy is delighted with his side’s 3-1 away win at Matlock Town but insists his side can do far more.

The Evo-Stik NPL Premier Division manager, pictured, was happy to see another three point haul on the road, their third in a row, but definitely not the first half performance on Saturday.

The former Northern Ireland international said: "Obviously it’s a great win. To come back from 0-1 down to win 3-1 is a great result in that respect. But we were one down in the first half and were poor. We just didn’t play. We were much better in the second half and we finished well which made a big difference.

"It’s all about the win fortunately and we have the three points. What is positive is that we got the win but we didn’t play well so you can imagine what we could do if we put it all together for a good ninety minutes. We will be a much better side for it."

Spartans only managed two away victories in the league last season and took until March to get their first, so Cassidy is delighted his side are well under way, if not quite firing on all cylinders yet. Former Whitby Town frontman Ash Davis proved to be the catalyst for the comeback when he notched his first two competitive goals for Blyth and Cassidy praised his impact on the game.

"Phil Airey did well today but Ash came on and did brilliantly for us," said the Spartans manager. "He’s quick, he’s strong and elusive. He is an impact player and can make a difference as he has. He can be very, very good and you need that as an impact player. He scored a good first goal and I’d like to see it on a more consistent basis."

Chorley are next up for Spartans at Croft Park on Tuesday night in the Evo-Stik NPL Premier and Cassidy sees the game as another test to find out how far his squad have progressed since relegation last season.

The signs are good after a positive start to the new campaign and Cassidy is looking forward to the game. He said: "We have a massive game on Tuesday against Chorley, who are a strong side. It’ll be a good test for us and we can go into that in a positive manner with the three points gained on Saturday."