Late Waldron leveller earns Cowan's Brackley a 'really hard-fought' home point
Gavin Cowan was left to reflect on a 'really hard-fought' encounter after his Brackley Town team salvaged a point late on against unbeaten Scunthorpe United last Saturday.
Danny Waldron's header deep into added time earned a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw at St James Park.
Scunthorpe had taken the lead thanks to a 73rd-minute Danny Whitehall penalty, but they had Joe Starbuck sent off just three minutes later.
Brackley kept pushing and eventually unlocked the away door eight minutes into added time as Waldron delivered a dramatic equaliser.
And Cowan said: "It was really hard-fought.
"It was always going to be about a refereeing decision or a lapse in concentration from either side that was going to win the game.
"We cancelled each other out somewhat.
"We maybe got on top during the course of the first half, moving them around with our patterns, and they started really fast in the second half.
"We grew into the game and when the sending off came, the whole momentum of the game flowed our way so it gave us the impetus to be on the front foot.
"I'm really pleased with the lads in terms of doing what it is that we want.
"Some messages came from the sideline for us to go a little bit more back to front and then we got our rewards in the end.
"It was certainly a fair result.
"We would have liked to have got the three points and we could if we'd have taken a couple of our chances, but, on the whole, it was a fair result."
Cowan continued: "I'm always honest with my players and the never-say-die attitude was really commendable, but we needed to replicate the quality we had in the first half in the second half.
"It's not okay to look really good with your patterns and then keep falling at the final hurdle, especially with the quality we've got.
"We're really happy with our recruitment and we believe in the players so what we don't want to do is go backwards and tell them that it's okay (to have got a point).
"Yes, there were parts of the game that I was happy with them, in terms of their attitude, endeavour and their desire, doing a job and a half all over the pitch, but ultimately we have more quality in our team and at times they just needed to concentrate a bit more with the ball.
"We could have hurt them more than we did, particularly during a big spell in the first half.
"The irony is that we ask them to go a bit more back to front towards the end, and that's what gets us the goal.
"It would have been a travesty for us to lose the game, we wanted to win it, but a point is a point."