‘Football can be cruel’ - Andy Whing taking Brackley Town 'positives' despite Altrincham defeat

Brackley Town boss Andy Whing believed his players put on their best performance yet despite losing 2-0 at home to Altrincham on Saturday.

Goals from Altrincham pair Jake Cooper and Declan Howe condemned Brackley to their third successive defeat, leaving Whing without a single point in his opening three matches.

Andy Whing was impressed with how his Brackley Town players performed - especially in the first half - despite losing 2-0 to Altrincham. (Picture credit: Pete Keen)

placeholder image — Andy Whing was impressed with how his Brackley Town players performed - especially in the first half - despite losing 2-0 to Altrincham. (Picture credit: Pete Keen)

The result slumped the Saints to 20th in the Enterprise National League and just three points above the relegation zone, piling on the pressure ahead of the congested run-in.

Despite the loss, Whing was mightily proud of his players. “I’m gutted, absolutely gutted,” Whing told the media post-match.

“I thought we were excellent. In the first half, we were brilliant. I don’t know how we weren’t two or three up to be perfectly honest.

“We’ve made one mistake from a corner, I think it’s hit his hip and gone in the goal. That kind of sums up our luck, really. Tonight we dominated, they barely had any chances.

“Haynes’ shot looked like it went over the line. The amount of opportunities we had, the ball not falling for us in the box… I think football can be cruel at times.”

One decision midway through the second half certainly grabbed the attention of all at St James Park, as referee Rob Massey-Ellis ruled out Altrincham’s Tom Crawford’s goal and instead awarded a penalty. There was no obvious foul, leaving many - including Whing - puzzled.

“The referee is absolutely baffling,” Whing said of Massey-Ellis.

“I don’t know what’s happening there. They’ve scored but it’s a foul, I don’t know what he’s seen to give a penalty. It’s just a baffling decision all round.”

Whing decided to switch up his formation against Altrincham, fielding a back four instead of the usual three Brackley supporters have been used to seeing. It seemed to be working in the first half, but an injury for left-back Ryan Haynes disrupted the rhythm.

“We changed shape today, I thought we were more aggressive and more effective,” Whing added.

“We created more chances, we got more crosses into the box. All of that was really positive, but ultimately we’ve not won the game which is disappointing.”