Post Match Reaction From AFC Darwen
Sat 2nd May 2015 | Darwen | By Ian Templeman
AFC Darwen manager Nick Lloyd:
"It's been a fantastic day, and great to see so many supporters come down and join us, I can't thank them enough. To get that sort of reception when you win, from all of those people, it's out of this world.
"It just shows what this club is capable of, and I am lost for words.
"We don't do things easy. At 3-1 we should have killed the game and we didn't, but credit to Hanley, they came back at us and wouldn't lie down.
"Every single one of them has worked their socks off all season and they have got their rewards for all the hard work they have put in by winning the cup and going up. It shows the attitude we have here, we want to progress.
"We have hardly trained over the past few weeks, we did have a session on Thursday, but with our fixture schedule, players have been having to take time off work for games.
"Every credit to everyone involved in the club, they have deserved it. We can't do much more than win a cup and get promoted".
AFC Darwen Director of Football Kevin Gallacher:
"At the start of the season, the Chairman said he wanted promotion and I felt it would be a tough challenge, but we sat down and said what we had to do if we were going to achieve it, and we did it.
"It's been a hard season for us, but we've done what we set out for, but we've done it better because we've won a cup at the end of it as well.
"Considering the end of the season we've had, it's been hectic, and I was just hoping that the boys could stay fit enough and sensible enough to prepare right.
"I told them they have to come, be a part of it, and understand what we want, for AFC Darwen in the future. They have worked hard for it, and for the effort they have put in for us this year, they thoroughly deserve this.
"Today I knew they were really nervous, more nervous than they were in the cup final, so I knew it was going to be a big challenge for them. But they came up tops at the end of it, which is fantastic, and it showed what it meant to them.
"Getting a crowd in is always difficult no matter what level of football you are at, and to play in front of that crowd today was exciting. These lads would love to play in front of that every week, if we could get the crowds in, that will be great".
AFC Darwen captain Adam Douglas:
"It's been a great day. That's what you come down here for, and work hard in pre-season and training for, for games like today.
"The crowd were fantastic, both sets of fans were brilliant, it was a great spectacle with eight goals. From the League's point of view, with it being the first time for the play offs, I think everything has worked really well, and there's no better way to go up.
"The aim at the start of the season was always to get promotion, although it was hard to envisage we'd get there at the mid-point of the season when we were mid-table. But we just seemed to hit form at the right time.
"When you looked at the fixtures schedule we had (at the end of the season), it looked daunting, but when we got on a run, we were just looking forward to the next game, then the next one after that.
"With injuries and suspensions, everything just seemed to keep going for us, and that momentum took us into the play off and really got us over the line in the end.
"We said all season we've got lots of goals in us, so if we did go a goal behind we didn't panic, because if we got chances we knew we'd take them.
"We're looking forward to the Premier Division now. We're under no illusions, we know it will be a lot more difficult with some of the teams in there. But we have played a few of the teams in the cup this year and managed to get good results, so we will be going in full of confidence.
"It's not going to be easy, but we will get our heads down pre-season and see how it goes".
Post Match Reaction From AFC Darwen
Sat 2nd May 2015 | Darwen
By Ian Templeman
AFC Darwen manager Nick Lloyd:
"It's been a fantastic day, and great to see so many supporters come down and join us, I can't thank them enough. To get that sort of reception when you win, from all of those people, it's out of this world.
"It just shows what this club is capable of, and I am lost for words.
"We don't do things easy. At 3-1 we should have killed the game and we didn't, but credit to Hanley, they came back at us and wouldn't lie down.
"Every single one of them has worked their socks off all season and they have got their rewards for all the hard work they have put in by winning the cup and going up. It shows the attitude we have here, we want to progress.
"We have hardly trained over the past few weeks, we did have a session on Thursday, but with our fixture schedule, players have been having to take time off work for games.
"Every credit to everyone involved in the club, they have deserved it. We can't do much more than win a cup and get promoted".
AFC Darwen Director of Football Kevin Gallacher:
"At the start of the season, the Chairman said he wanted promotion and I felt it would be a tough challenge, but we sat down and said what we had to do if we were going to achieve it, and we did it.
"It's been a hard season for us, but we've done what we set out for, but we've done it better because we've won a cup at the end of it as well.
"Considering the end of the season we've had, it's been hectic, and I was just hoping that the boys could stay fit enough and sensible enough to prepare right.
"I told them they have to come, be a part of it, and understand what we want, for AFC Darwen in the future. They have worked hard for it, and for the effort they have put in for us this year, they thoroughly deserve this.
"Today I knew they were really nervous, more nervous than they were in the cup final, so I knew it was going to be a big challenge for them. But they came up tops at the end of it, which is fantastic, and it showed what it meant to them.
"Getting a crowd in is always difficult no matter what level of football you are at, and to play in front of that crowd today was exciting. These lads would love to play in front of that every week, if we could get the crowds in, that will be great".
AFC Darwen captain Adam Douglas:
"It's been a great day. That's what you come down here for, and work hard in pre-season and training for, for games like today.
"The crowd were fantastic, both sets of fans were brilliant, it was a great spectacle with eight goals. From the League's point of view, with it being the first time for the play offs, I think everything has worked really well, and there's no better way to go up.
"The aim at the start of the season was always to get promotion, although it was hard to envisage we'd get there at the mid-point of the season when we were mid-table. But we just seemed to hit form at the right time.
"When you looked at the fixtures schedule we had (at the end of the season), it looked daunting, but when we got on a run, we were just looking forward to the next game, then the next one after that.
"With injuries and suspensions, everything just seemed to keep going for us, and that momentum took us into the play off and really got us over the line in the end.
"We said all season we've got lots of goals in us, so if we did go a goal behind we didn't panic, because if we got chances we knew we'd take them.
"We're looking forward to the Premier Division now. We're under no illusions, we know it will be a lot more difficult with some of the teams in there. But we have played a few of the teams in the cup this year and managed to get good results, so we will be going in full of confidence.
"It's not going to be easy, but we will get our heads down pre-season and see how it goes".
