Match-winner talks to htafc.com
Adam Clayton was delighted to score the goal that secured Town’s Sky Bet Championship status for next season at Yeovil today.
The 97th minute strike gave Town all three points in the 2-1 win and made relegation a mathematical impossibility with two games to go.
“I needed that – it means I don’t have to check the league table as carefully tonight!” Adam admitted. “To win and then hear Blackpool had only drawn was a big relief. The pressure is off now, so we can go out and enjoy our last two games – starting in front of our fans on Saturday.
“Yeovil put everything on the line. They were attacking with eight players for the last 20 minutes, which felt a little bit strange, but we thought that if we didn’t concede we would get them on the counter-attack. I think we could have scored a few more than we actually did, but in the end it came with the last kick. I think that’s just how fate unfolds in football; it always seems to take until the last minute.”
The influential midfielder explained that the confidence in Town’s changing room had never drained away despite a 10 game winless streak.
“In all honesty, it hasn’t been that tense in the dressing room. We knew we were going to get the win, but it’s taken us far too long to do so with the standards we’ve set ourselves – that’s the disappointing thing. That wasn’t down to nerves over relegation though.
“When we played Middlesbrough in March, I think they were a point above us. They won a few games and ended up with an outside chance of the Play-Offs. It didn’t happen for us that way, but we never thought we were going down. Despite that, it was important to get over the line – and we have done.
“I hope everyone feels a little less stressed now we have this win and we’re safe. There won’t be as much pressure on Saturday’s game, so we should be able to go out and enjoy a game against the likely Champions. Hopefully it will be a very good game.”
