Dan McNamara praised his Wolves Women side after coming back from three goals down to beat Nottingham Forest 4-3 on the penultimate home game of the season.
The second half comeback provided the Old Gold with a sixth win on the spin thanks to goals from Amber Hughes, Liv Fergusson, and Beth Merrick's brace. McNamara has spoken on the comeback, the character of his team, Hughes’ goal providing the spark, and attempting to gain maximum points from the final three games of the season.
On the comeback
“It was part of the plan! I don’t really know where to start to be honest. I don’t even think it was a game of two halves; I think it was sort of 60 minutes and a game of 30 minutes.
“First half, I am quick enough to tell the girls when they have got it wrong; I think I probably got it wrong.
“First half we offered Forest too much respect and we very quickly had to change the formation because it wasn’t working and then we started to get a grip hold of the game.
“Then it’s a sucker punch just before half-time and, all of a sudden, it then changes how we approach the second half as well.
“Then 3-0 down, it was about putting the football to one side and having a little bit of respect, and then based on the last 20 minutes, I thought we were fantastic.
“You have seen what my teams are built around – hard work, energy, tempo and intensity. I did say to the girls you can be the best footballer in the world, but sometimes those core fundamental values that you bring without even trying can often be the most effective, and I thought they were tremendous in the last 20 minutes.
“Not taking anything away from Forest, I thought they were at times were superb. Some of the players they have got in their fold and Freya Thomas was unplayable at times today.
“Football is full of those, and 10 minutes ago, I was going to chat to you about how taking one point from 18 available against the top four was not good enough. I will still stand here and say four points out of 18 isn’t good enough.
“However, that makes it a whole lot sweeter, and now we can continue this run and hopefully take this momentum into Wednesday.”
On Hughes kick-starting the comeback
"It goes back to the core fundamental values of what you have to bring to football, and I don't think we saw them in the first half.
"I will hold my hands up and say I got it wrong, but the girls also got it wrong, and they will admit that to you as we had a discussion at half-time.
"From the second half, I think you start to see some of those come out. The third goal kills us a little bit but, as I said, it goes one way or the other from there on in.
"Amber, it wasn't her finest goal. I don't think she will score too many like that, but they all count, and that continues her goalscoring record over the last few weeks.
"It puts us in a nice place. It's six (wins) on the bounce now, and we probably felt like we owed Forest a game after the last two that we have had with really contentious decisions which probably decided the league game away from home.
"They have come here, and we have managed to get a result, so huge congratulations to the girls because obviously, at 3-0 down, there is not a lot I can do, and it was about them digging in and finding a way."
On getting maximum points from the three remaining games
“This is what we challenged the girls with, probably six games ago now. I asked the girls what do they think a good return was going to be, and they said maximum points.
“We always felt like the games that have proceeded this one were the ones we lacked going into the big top four games.
“Very rarely, I have said it before, you don’t play Burnley, Newcastle, Forest and Newcastle back to back all in January and February. It was a ridiculous schedule.
“We felt we needed to have some of them games coming into a game like this to then do well in these kinds of big top-of-the-table clashes if you like.
“Today you saw that at times we played with real confidence, even in the first half when we had the ball at times we still looked like we could play.
“Overall, I thought it was fantastic, and a mention to the backroom team today. I think Carlos and Darlo both spotted something in that second half.
“We made a tweak, and it paid off in the end massively, so credit to them two, and that’s why I have good people around me, as they can make a difference as well.”
