HEAD coach Scott Parker refused to take the credit for his astute substitutions and insisted: “That’s full credit to the three that came on.”
The Cherries boss saw his side seal a 2-0 victory over Reading at Select Car Leasing Stadium – a result which set a club record 15-game unbeaten start to a league campaign.
Parker opted to replace the cautioned Gavin Kilkenny with Ben Pearson at the interval on Saturday, with his side 1-0 in front.
He then swapped the cautioned Jaidon Anthony with Jamal Lowe – the Jamaica international scoring just three minutes after his introduction.
And with Jordan Zemura struggling with a knock, centre-back Chris Mepham delivered an assured 20-minute cameo out of position for Parker’s final change.
Asked whether he would give himself any credit for the alterations, the 41-year-old replied: “Not really. I give credit to the players that came on – full credit to them.
“Of course, I have to make decisions at certain moments and sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t.
“What a player needs to do when he enters the field is that he is in tip-top prime condition. How they do that is staying professional and I think that’s full credit to the three that came on.
“Chris Mepham on at left-back. He was superb. Ben was very, very good and Jamal came on as well.
“I thought the subs did very well but, overall, it’s down to them and the condition they keep themselves in.”
Quizzed on how he felt his substitutes were able to adapt, the boss added: “It’s the processes and the structure that we put in place in terms of drilling a team and each and every one of them understanding their roles and being very clear in that.
“Also on the flip side, there is a group of players who have been very diligent. You guys don’t see these guys on the training pitch – you are only seeing them on a Saturday for 90 minutes.
“You don’t get that performance or the players making it look as easy without the work they are putting in, so I think it’s a combination of things.
“At this present moment in time it’s going well, we need to continue that. There’s still a lot of work to be done.
“We are on a good run. We have started the season very, very well now and I am over the moon with where we are but there it still loads to do.”
Cherries host Preston at Vitality Stadium on Wednesday.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel