Gary Mansell chats to Colin Bowman after Burgess Hill Town's play-off semi-final win over Margate
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00:00Good evening and welcome back to the Home Call Carpets Community Stadium.
00:05I've got Gary Mansell, Joint Manager of Burgess Hilltown.
00:09Just come off the back of a 2-0 win against Margate in the Ishmael South East semi-final play-off.
00:18Gary, I'm going to say you must be delighted, but can you just sum up your feelings?
00:25Yeah, immensely proud of what the group have not just done tonight, but what they've done all season.
00:29And tonight was exactly what they've done. Defended absolutely solid, got goals when we needed them.
00:36Big moments, big players turn up in big games and they've done that again tonight.
00:41Exactly. I'm not sure you've had time to breathe it in. We go to Sittingbourne on Friday.
00:47Personally, I was hoping that Merced and my scouts were going to have this all again.
00:51But we go to Sittingbourne, no fears?
00:54We knew no matter who we played in the playoffs, there weren't going to be an easy game.
00:58Whether it was Merced and Margate or Sittingbourne, we knew we'd have to take on the best that were in the league.
01:04So we're prepared for that. I think we're a match for anyone on our day.
01:08So we'll go into it with the same compliments as anyone else.
01:12Yeah, Martin Box. He's done it again tonight.
01:16The lad is a real hero around here. Scored the first goal. You must be dead chuffed when he knocked that one in.
01:25Yeah, because of his all-round goal game. Not just the goal, but the way he worked out the possession, the way he competed in the air.
01:34It's just his all-round game today. It just epitomised everything that's special about this group.
01:38Yeah, I'm going to say, I've always liked a mid-week clean sheet. You know that, I know that.
01:46Produced another one tonight. How much confidence does that give the team stepping out on the pitch?
01:53Yeah, well, we spoke about it in the match prep.
01:55And, you know, we were clear about the message that this team's defended this goal so well all season.
02:01So we knew, we knew if we got ourselves in front, we had a chance.
02:05And again tonight, I thought, first half, a couple of chances that they got away from us.
02:11But second half, I thought we were immense. Defended our box really, really well.
02:15Yeah, quite right. The club have really pulled out all the stops tonight.
02:21You've probably had a walk around the ground. There's outlets here, there and everywhere.
02:24And then, I think, nearly 1,500 fans have filed in through the gates.
02:30And I think you'll have to admit that the atmosphere in here has been pretty electric from the start.
02:37How is that sort of like giving the team more confidence?
02:42Absolutely amazing. Home tour was what we wanted because we knew the fans would give us a special night, a special environment.
02:49And I have to say, words can't describe how grateful we are for all the volunteers and everyone behind the scenes that make nights like this happen for us.
03:00You know, all the work that's gone into the pitch.
03:03I know it's been a tough season in the amount of games, but all the hard work that's gone into the pitch, all the food outlets, absolutely everything.
03:09You know, keeping the ground looking brilliant for nights like this when fans from other clubs come along.
03:15We're so grateful for all the hard work that goes in.
03:19That's a really nice sentiment.
03:22Obviously, from everybody at the club, we're so proud of what you guys have achieved.
03:28You, Jay and the squad this year.
03:30Very, very proud to get through this match tonight.
03:33Last question from me.
03:34Obviously, it's a very, very quick turnaround between now and Friday.
03:38You've probably talked about, I know you go one game at a time,
03:41but you've probably talked about how you want to sort of like go in the next two or three days.
03:44Are we having a training session or are we going straight down there?
03:49All I know is Chloe's going to be extremely busy for the next two or three days, getting the players ready.
03:56We honestly haven't discussed what we're doing over the next couple of days.
04:00We're going to assess how the group are after tonight and tomorrow morning,
04:03and then we'll make a decision what we do on Thursday,
04:07whether it's something in terms of recovery or whether it's something where we just get ourselves moving.
04:12But we'll be together as a group and we'll go into Sittingbourne absolutely ready and prepped.
04:17All right.
04:18Burgess Hill Town aren't here just to make up the numbers, are they, Gary?
04:21No, they're not.
04:21No, they're not.
04:22Remember, at the club, everybody in Burgess Hill, everybody in mid-Sussex,
04:26huge congratulations to you, Jay and the whole squad,
04:32not just tonight, but for the whole season.
04:35It's meant everything.
04:36You saw what happened behind the goal tonight.
04:38Yeah.
04:39Let's go and do it again down at Sittingbourne, shall we?
04:41Brilliant. Thank you.