AFC Sudbury manager Marc Abbott urges fans to bring the noise ahead of home games with Alvechurch and Hadleigh United in league and cup
AFC Sudbury manager Marc Abbott has asked their home crowd to ramp up the noise as he looks to help get his side back to being ‘that exciting team’ again.
The Yellows head into back-to-back home games in league and cup in the space of four days having played out a goalless draw with St Ives Town fellow mid-table Pitching In Southern League Premier Central outfit St Ives Town on Saturday.
It came off the back of what he had described as a ‘proud’ away display in a 2-1 defeat which saw Kettering Town take over as the new leaders the weekend before last.
Their recent results, having won 2-1 away to Redditch United prior to that, has left Suds 13th in the standings with a game against the side directly below them, Alvechurch, who also have 17 points but having played a game less, to begin two quickfire fixtures at The MEL Group Stadium (3pm).
Their attention then switches to keeping their hopes alive of what they hope will be an appearance at Premier League stadium Portman Road for the final of this year’s Endeavour Automotive Suffolk Premier Cup, with Hadleigh United the visitors in the quarter-final on Tuesday (7.45pm).
“We really need the supporters to get behind us now as we want to make this a place where teams find it tough coming,” he said in his post-match club interview on X.
“We need and want that noise and, like I said to the players at half-time, we need to give the supporters something to be excited for.
“We can’t expect them to turn up and not have moments of quality and brilliance to not get people off their seat; we’ve always wanting to be that exciting team and we’ve got to get back to that.”
Reflecting on Saturday’s stalemate with St Ives, he was pleased that his players took a key message on board as the game unfolded against a defensively resilient outfit.
“We highlighted to the players don’t lose the game if we can’t win it and that was a real important one,” he said.
“I thought we had experiences last year where in a quite bitty stop-start game without any real flow, we’d probably have lost that.
“It is definitely a point gained rather than points lost. But was it our free-flowing, high energy, forward-thinking game? Probably not, but I think you’ve got to give St Ives credit; they’re athletic and they like to counter us and sit in, being organised getting numbers around and behind the ball; they’re a very good defensive side.
“They’ve obviously lost a few players but have evolved through Ricky’s recruitment, so we found it difficult at times but I thought when we showed our energy and quality on the ball we looked a good side.
“Was there any wow performance today? Probably not, from either side, I thought it was a bit scrappy at times, not enough quality or control really, but like I say, this league is tough.”
Asked how important it was to take a point from the fixture, he said: “Look, that’s now six games unbeaten at home. Yes, it wasn’t a win like we wanted but I think those little points will add up.
“For us, that old cliche of if you can’t win it don’t lose it I thought was definitely key today.
“Did I feel as though either team did enough to deserve to win it? Probably not, I thought a draw was probably fair.
“There’s not many teams that have stopped us scoring this season, home and away, and obviously St Ives have done that at home which a lot of teams haven’t done so that shows their defensive structure and what they brought to us.”
