Spartans left back Joe Kendrick praised the commitment and attitude of the travelling Green Army after the 3-1 win over Whitby Town. The former Newcastle United and Darlington defender made a point of celebrating with the travelling Spartans fans when he slotted home a nintieth minute penalty that put his side in front and was quickly followed by a Robbie Dale clincher in the second minute of four added on for injury time. Dale’s goal was also celebrated with the fans and Kendrick praised the supporters. He said “They’ve spent a lot of money to come down here and it’s important to recognise what they are doing. It’s bank holiday Monday and they could be with their families but they’ve come down here and they have to know that all of the players really appreciate what they have done”
At times the Turnbull Ground felt more like Croft Park and it was for more reasons than the blustery North Sea wind and rain with the Spartans fans giving an excellent account of themselves, again this was something recognised by Kendrick. “Yes, there were certainly a fair few of us there and the fans have been very good today. Everyone of them has been really good and the fans are important for us. It’s a long season ahead and they need to stick with us”.
Reflecting on the win overall Kendrick believes that his side need to stop making life hard for themselves by giving away sloppy goals but does see improvement from Spartans. “It was a very good win, we once again made it difficult for ourselves and it took us a while to get going. Second half we were much much better and we deserved it. It did seem like we were going to be frustrated but we got there in the end.”