July 27, 2022...Reaction: 'Every Player Has to Take Responsibility - It's Not Good Enough For The Fans and Everyone Around The Club' (from York United FC website)

July 27, 2022...Reaction: 'Every Player Has to Take Responsibility - It's Not Good Enough For The Fans and Everyone
Around The Club' (from York United FC website)

REACTION: 'EVERY PLAYER HAS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY - IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE FANS AND EVERYONE
AROUND THE CLUB'

Defender Tass Mourdoukoutas says it's up to the playing staff to shoulder the criticism after a poor
display against Atletico Ottawa.

Defender Tass Mourdoukoutas held his hands up and said the York United players must accept
responsibility for the lame performance in the 3-0 defeat to Atletico Ottawa on Sunday afternoon
at York Lions Stadium.

Unexpectedly, the Nine Stripes displayed slow reactions, breaks in transition and low confidence
on the ball.

They gave away two penalties - one in either half- and were caught on the break for the second goal
scored by Atleti’s Brian Wright, though the forward was marginally offside.

"Every player has to take responsibility for themselves because everyone today made a mistake that
they need to improve on; whether it be with the ball, without the ball, a tackle, even talking
to each other - the simplest things," the Australian import said at the post-match conference.

"It's a big excuse to say it's the coach's problem or anyone else's. I think the players should look
at themselves real hard tonight and look back at the game and realize that we all have a lot to work
on and we all have a lot to improve on because this isn't good enough for the fans, for the support
staff, everyone around the club."

"The playing group has to improve and we know that. But, we're young. We'll learn from this and we'll
move forward and grow and I'm looking forward to the future. I think York United has a big future
and will make a big difference in this league, for sure."

Head Coach Martin Nash was expecting to build on last Tuesday’s spirited performance which earned
a 1-0 win at Cavalry FC but it was not to be.

He was without two of his reliable midfielders; Jordan Wilson and Isaiah Johnston - both due
to suspensions - and so had to tweak his line-up which saw starts being handed to Kevin Dos Santos
and Cedric Toussaint.

But the Nine Stripes lacked the spark and failed to turn up to the party.

"We talked all week about our mentality. How we needed that same mentality, that same energy we had
on Tuesday. There was plenty of time to recover but we came out real slow. We were trying
to encourage the guys to get on and press. But we were really quiet and really slow," a visibly
disappointed Nash disclosed at the post-match conference,

"[We] gifted them a penalty - a bad touch and then a soft penalty. Now you're under pressure,
right? So, it’s just slow and sloppy to start and then I think the second goal killed us. Yeah,
it was offside but it's still a bad goal to give away. You can’t rely on someone else to make
a call. You can complain it was offside all day but it was a play that we should have stopped anyway."

This was the third time York United have conceded three or more goals at home this season
in seven defeats.

"We talked about stopping them [Atletico Ottawa] in transition. It was a big key for us. And all three
goals - especially the first two - were in transition," The Gaffer lamented.

"On the first goal, we switched off with the throw-in and then didn't clear our lines. The second
one...[we] talked about not squeezing balls centrally. We played a bad pass centrally and then off
they go. It’s frustrating when we don't do what we've trained and then give away some sloppy goals."

Ridwan Ibrahim Asante

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