04.10.09 Pontypridd Town (Welsh Cup Second Round) 4-1 (H)

The Richmond Park boss was pleased with both the result and the performance. He told 'Y Dre ar Y We', "A very pleasing win. The boys approached the game in the right manner. Yes in cup games it's all about the result but it's even more pleasing when you get the result and a decent performance as well, which we got today".

Brace added, "The all-round attitude from everyone today was spot on. The moment that we started we took the game to them. We knew we had to make the tempo, keep the desire right and not be over the top. Obviously we got off to a good start with Craig’s goal but we were a little bit sloppy in terms of their equaliser. But we responded well and going in half time 3-1 up I thought we were well worth it".

"We caused them problems at set pieces, we caused them problems in open play and it was a case then, in the second half, of the next goal being the all-important one. We could either kill the game or make the game more interesting. Fortunately enough we got the goal and then it was the case of can we get a fifth or sixth. Unfortunately we came up against a keeper who’s made some really good saves today".

06.10.09 Port Talbot Town(League Cup) 1-1 (A)

Brace was relatively pleased with the outcome as Town looked to build some form. "We made a few changes and we played well in patches. We're up to three games now and that gives us some confidence. I know we'll have to do better at the weekend but that's a different game".

10.10.09 Airbus UK Broughton 1-1 (A)

“Having been two nil down I’m pleased with a point. As everyone in football knows levelling a 2-0 deficit feels like a win. Our first half game lacked cohesiveness and we seemed to panic but in the last twenty minutes we’ve been eager, contested everything and got the two goals.

“It’s nice to build a little bit of a run. We pulled it out of the bag really when it looked as if we weren’t going to get anything. It is pleasing but we need to do far better than what we are doing currently. It’s just a little disappointing that we’ve had to go 2-0 down before showing what we can do”.

Explaining his decision to send on all three substitutes together the Richmond Park boss felt he had little choice. “When your losing the game and your making three substitutions at the same time you obviously want and need a dramatic change. Sometimes replacing one player wont get that change. It gave us more impetus and a bit of momentum though we did concede the goal with them on the pitch. But it wasn’t really down to them it was again a defensive mistake and we found ourselves two – nil down”.

“But the good thing was that because the subs wanted to come on and have a say in the game they kept driving, kept everybody else on the front foot and we started winning some individual battles. When things start going for you everybody wants to get involved. In the last twenty minutes we had an eleven-man performance when for an hour we played too much like individuals”.

Of the penalty decision Brace was somewhat philosophical. “It’s one of those funny decisions. Smudger hasn’t meant it at all. The ball has come across to him and taken an unbelievable bounce and hit him on the arm. It was an unfortunate decision. But if it had happened at the other end and he hadn’t given a penalty for us we would have been disappointed. But because we managed to take something out of the game we can probably be a little more understanding of the decision”.

Brace was pleased with his forward pairing. “I thought Pritch and Hicksy up front worked tirelessly. A lot of it was scraps but they made the most of it. They know themselves that there is plenty more to come from them but I thought there work rate today was excellent”.

Port Talbot Preview

“Port Talbot is a big, physical and organised team. They are a side that’s proved this season that they are in there with a shout of knocking on the door of a top four top three placing”.

“They are a side that has a great understanding with each other and a great work ethic. What they’ve got into their game is that there is nothing flashy about it. They don’t create maybe as much as other sides do because they don’t have to. They cause the mistakes through hard work”.

“We know its going to be one of those games when we know we are going to have to do a bit of work on the training ground if we are going to deal with their physicality and direct approach. We need to be more manly than we have been in the last couple of games”.

17.10.09 Port Talbot 3-1 (H)

"Delighted for everyone. The win was vital, especially against the calibre of team we were playing. But also the way that we got it was pleasing. It wasn’t a lucky win or a fortunate win, it was a well-deserved win. So credit to the players. Every single one of them played extremely well throughout and it was a real team win".

"I could not fault anybody. Every single player had eight out of ten. It was one of those performances where everyone held their nerve, everyone played to their potential and got the result we richly deserved".

"I thought we were unfortunate to go in half time behind. I thought we shaded the half with our competitiveness. We tried to use the ball sensibly; we built the phases really well and the only thing we were possibly lacking was the last third where things seemed to break down too easily for us".

"We kept our patience throughout the game. Perseverance, couple of substitutions all paid dividends and the goals came in the last fifteen minutes. That’s not to say that we didn’t attack until the last fifteen minutes. We attacked the full ninety minutes. It was probably the case that we were a little more ruthless and purposeful in the final fifteen".

“I am most certainly delighted with today’s performance. As I have said previously we have not had the rub of the green in a number of our games. Today we saw the real character of our players. They grew in stature and belief as the game wore on and we were deserving of the three points.”

24.10.09 Gap Connah's Quay 1 - 0 (H)

"Obviously three points was the all important agenda for us today. It wasn’t pretty in the conditions but I thought we were well deserving of the win. On a very breezy day we’ve had a committed and solid performance and without being spectacular we’ve won the game with a clean sheet. I’m quite satisfied".

"Maybe we could have won by a couple more but their keeper has made some cracking saves and maybe our finishing wasn’t as good as it should have been. But when you're only winning one nil its always a close call. You know there’s going to be one opportunity at the end and it happened to fall to them. But Neil Thomas was alert to it and smothered the effort".

"It was a completely different game to last week We talked about it in the dressing room. Last week was a glorified win and everyone took a lot of enjoyment from it. This one was more of a battle, physical and about winning those 50/50 balls and putting the ball in the right paces".

"We grew in stature after a little bit of an indifferent start and as the game wore on we imposed ourselves a lot more. We started creating the opportunities and Nicky Palmer was cleaver enough to take the one and then it was about doing the right things".

Now six games undefeated Brace felt that his side had put some of the early disappointments behind them and that Town was now becoming a hard side to beat.

“I’ve never doubted the players even with our indifferent start as the performances were of a fairly decent standard. The one thing that was breaking down was that we were making errors and we were conceding goals from these errors. Every error that we made a goal was conceded. I’ve never known it to be that way in football and we got punished for a good five weeks. It was getting to be very difficult”.

“But, to put things right, we didn’t have to change massively but we had to cut out one or two little things. That’s what the boys have done. So within that all of a sudden you turn a one nil deficit into a one nil win”.

“We’re becoming a difficult team to play against and when you are a difficult team to play against I like to think your half way to winning”.

30.10.09 Llanelli AFC 1-3 WC R3 (A)

"For long periods in the second half we were the team that was looking to win the game. Yes it was a very positive performance and I thought we were the better side. But in a cup game it’s all about the result and we didn’t get it".

“Leggy (Andrew Legg) and his team will be wondering how they managed to get away with it. They thought we were the better side. But that’s no consolation because we’re not in the hat for the next round; they are”.

"We started slowly and they got their goal. But then we got to terms with the game and had a good twenty-minute spell. In the second half we made all the running but without being clinical enough in the last third".

"That was the difference between us tonight they were ruthless when they had their chances and that is the difference perhaps between the top three in the league and the rest. They make things count".

" Some people may say that it will be a long hard season. But it will only be a long hard season if we let it be. We have a very important season ahead of us and we need to make the most of it".

"We have to put tonight behind us now, we can't dwell on it. Yes it hurts, it always hurts when you're out of the top competition because you don't get a second go at it. But we have plenty to play for and we've got another massive game next week against Bangor in the League. They are only a point behind us and we now have to focus on that".

Deryn's Dugout