Any complaints about the result?
Not the scoreline. We competed really well, but ultimately they had too much for us in terms of quality and in the end a little bit of physicality. But you'd probably expect them to have a bit more than us.
Would you have taken that performance before the game?
Yes, I thought the performance was good. We competed really well, the shape was good, we took the ball a lot more than we did at the weekend. In the main areas, they just carried a little bit more threat than we did.
Is that what you think was the main difference between the sides?
To be fair to John (Eustace), they are always at it. Playing a team from a higher division, you need them to dip a little bit below their level but he has a really gogd, honest group, who are drilled and bang at it. We competed really well, but they were a little bit ahead of us.
What have you learned about your team tonight?
That they'll give us everything. We are organised, competitive and we'll continue to keep getting better.
You made changes at half-time. Were they pre-planned?
Yes, but not James Olayinka, who felt a little light-headed. The other two were pre-planned certainly. It's managing the resources. Another game at the weekend, so half an eye on that.
Any news on Elliot Bonds?
Yes, Bondsy has had a scan and we are waiting on the exact timeframe on it. Bondsy won't be back anytime soon, but I can't give you an exact date just yet.
But likely to be long-term?
It's probably going to be more than a month.
But not quite perhaps as it could have been?
Yes, potentially. That's the prognosis and what Gav (Crowe) would say. It wasn't the worst case scenario by any means.
You have fewer strikers than you might like and you've lost Elliot Bonds. Has that changed any instruction you've given to your head of recruitment?
We are looking for a centre forward anyway, so that hasn't changed. We are still looking for a centre forward.
Is anything close and are you hopeful before the weekend?
I speak to Russ (Milton) every day and I am always hopeful. As far as I am aware, there is nothing imminent. We are speaking to people and have a lot of fingers is a lot of pies.
Is it frustrating to find your plans already disrupted by injuries after only two games of the season?
Yes, but we are where we are at the minute. We generally play with two centre forwards. We've only got two senior forwards at the minute. Especially with the way the season is panning out, every game is about 110/120 minutes long. Would we like one or two in, yes of course I would. But I know where we are in the pecking order, so at the minute we'll make the best of what we have got.
What's your view on the new added time directive?
I hope it settles down a little bit. I can understand the thought behind it and they want the ball in play more, which I am all for. But there is probably a better means of going about it if you want to clamp down on time-wasting properly and get the ball in play more that way. It's asking a lot of the players.
What have you said to the players after the game?
What's their honest assessment of the performance? Do they think they competed and performed in a way that gave them a chance in the game? I think they did.
Luke Southwood pulled off several saves to keep the scoreline down
Yes, but we do pay him to make saves, so well done for doing your job.
Is that what you've told him?
No, he's a good goalkeeper and we knew that from last season. He was good tonight, but I expect him to make saves.
Bolton, Reading, Portsmouth - it doesn't get any easier, does it?
No, but it's what we want to be in the league for isn't it. You want to play those clubs. We've fought really, really hard to be here so we'll embrace the challenge.
How different a feeling is it after the final whistle compared to last season's defeat by Exeter City in the same competition?
I haven't really reflected on that because the game's just finished, but certainly the performance I'd take tonight over last season's yes, one million per cent.
How close is George Lloyd?
Lloydy is going to need an operation. I can't give you a timeframe on that at the moment.
Elliot Bonds has had to battle back from a serious knee injury before, so can that help him this time?
It's not of that severity. The one he had before could have had a serious impact on him and he navigated it unbelievably well. It's not that.
So he hasn't torn ligaments?
He moved his patella so the two ligaments behind his patella that hold it intact, he's put a lot of stress through so it'll need a lot of time for that to settle down and rehab, but there is nothing structurally wrong with Bondsy's knee and nothing like his ACL.
How did you think Oli Hammond did on his first start?
He did well. Bags of energy, picks up good positions and he has a bit of pride and quality on the ball, with his weight of pass, he takes care of it. I think he'll do really well for us.
And Curtis Thompson another 45 minutes on his road to full fitness
He is catching up and I still maintain we won't see the best of him for a little while, but you can see his appetite for the game and how hard he wants to work. He will get up to speed in good time because that's his drive and mentality. Certainly with Bondsy not being available, he'll probably be called upon a bit more than was originally planned.
How did you think the shape looked tonight with one up front and two number 10s?
I thought the shape looked all right. One or two little bits and bobs we wanted to tidy up and to be fair at half-time, they took it onboard. Last 20 minutes, we have to force it because it's a cup game and you want to try and get back into it. I thought the shape was okay.
Another great experience for 16-year-old Tom King, against Championship players in front of 4,000+ fans
Yes, it is. We needed to try and find something to get back into the cup tie, so we weren't putting him on as a sightseer. We thought he might make a difference in the game.
