Manager - A spirited fight back

Dougie Freedman offers his thoughts following Wanderers' draw with Middlesbrough

Having seen his side fight back from two goals down to secure a point in dramatic fashion against Middlesbrough, Dougie Freedman says he was proud of the character and determination shown by his players.

With David Ngog’s 90th minute strike earned Wanderers a share of the spoils against Aitor Karanka’s side, and the manager explained that the point was the least that his team deserved given their efforts during the course of the match.

“We’re disappointed to have given them a two goal start, but the moment that their second went in, I felt we were the better team,” he said following the final whistle. “I felt that we had enough chances to not only draw but win the game - it was a fantastic fight back with great character shown.

“We look back on the game and we’re disappointed because we’ve had enough chances to win, but if you gift a team two goals then you’re going to find it difficult to win.”

The equalising goal came just 12 minutes after the introduction of Ngog, and Freedman later added that the influence his substitutes proved crucial in helping Wanderers secure a point.

“I’ve got to give credit to the substitutes as they made all the difference and played a huge part in getting us the draw. 

“When it got to about the 65th minute, I felt as though the game had fallen a little bit flat and the energy levels were low because we’ve had so many games in quick succession.

“You can’t point the finger at this group of players’ spirit and character because that was there in abundance today. 

“They’ve had a tough time over the past three or four weeks in terms of certain things going against them, but the character shown today in terms of fighting for each other was very pleasing.

“This league is crazy. You play a lot of games in a very short period of time and you need to make sure that you’re very well-conditioned, but for us it is so far so good and we’re looking forward to the game against Blackpool on Saturday.”

Watch the manager's full post-match interview by clicking on the video below.

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