Iron boss Andy Butler launched a passionate defence of goalkeeper Maison Campbell and praised the clinical finishing of Declan Howe, after his side secured an impressive 3-1 victory over Woking at the Attis Arena.
Two first-half goals from summer signing Declan Howe set the Iron on their way to a valuable three points, with the striker getting off the mark for his new club in style.
Despite a dominant performance, a late consolation for the visitors came via an error from keeper Maison Campbell, but Butler was unequivocal in his support for his number one and expressed his overall delight at a performance full of “energy, desire, and hard work.”
“It’s always nice to get a good result,” Butler told BBC Radio Humberside post-match. “Everyone did their job. We looked full of energy, desire, hard work, blocks, tackles, and some good goals.”
The visitors enjoyed long spells of possession early on, but the Iron manager admitted he was happy for them to have the ball in non-threatening areas.
“We had to make sure that we respected them and kept our shape really well,” he explained.
“We knew they had two advanced full-backs that really pushed on. We forced them wide, we let the left-sided centre-half have the ball, and when he played it, then we pressed it that way.”
The plan worked to perfection for the opening goal, which came from a turnover in possession. “Joe [Starbuck] read the pass, played it forward and Cal [Roberts] did his bit, and then we obviously scored a little bit of a scruffy goal, but they all count.”
Former Gainsborough Trinity man Howe was in the right place at the right time for both of his goals, bundling them home from close range and Butler was delighted with the goals, adding: “We know what Dec can bring. He works tirelessly for this team”.
The only blemish on an otherwise excellent afternoon was Woking’s late goal, where goalkeeper Maison Campbell appeared to fumble the ball into his own net under little pressure.
Butler insisted he retains “full confidence” in the young goalkeeper, stating: “I’m not here to talk about a goalkeeper making one mistake.
“That’s what I said earlier in my interviews; a keeper can make a mistake and it can be looked on really, really fine-toothed. He’ll learn from it. I’ve still got full confidence in him.”
“A lot of people are saying, ‘Butler, I told you so, he’s not very good’,” he added. “We’ve won two games in a row right now and he’s been part of that. If you want to have a go at someone, have a go at me about playing MaIson, Mason is going to be a very good keeper and he’s going to have a very good career.”
Away from the on-field action, concerns remain about the state of the Attis Arena pitch, which again cut up badly throughout the game. With a nine-day gap until the next home fixture against FC Halifax Town, Butler acknowledged the issue needs addressing.
“It’s plain for everyone to see,” he admitted. “It’s not where we want it to be. We’ve got nine days now to make sure we get it right. I’m not a groundsman—my garden’s got dog wee patches all over it—so I don’t have the answers. But it has to be addressed.”
With Tuesday’s home clash with crisis club Morecambe postponed, Butler added he was pleased to have taken maximum points from the first two fixtures.
“It’s important we got these results,” he concluded. “Now we can use the week to make sure we’re fresh and ready to go again.”
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