BRACKNELL Town manager Sam Lock was back in good voice after his side had secured a FA Trophy win over a club part-owned by Olly Murs, one of the judges on ITV’s The Voice programme, writes Dave Wright.

The Robins inflicted a 2-1 defeat on Coggeshall Town at Larges Lane on Saturday as a disappointed Murs looked on from the sidelines.

And their excellent performance will have given Lock a tonic a week after he had been laid low by a nasty virus which saw him end up in hospital.

“It was a good win and I’m feeling a lot better now,” he beamed.

“I thought we were the better side throughout the game and we dominated it.”

He continued: “We stuck to our game plan well. The boys were really up for it and enjoyed their football.

“We looked a constant threat and could easily have scored more goals. We could have been more clinical in the final third, but I would rather see us miss chances than not create any at all.

“When we scored our second they (Coggeshall) looked dead and buried, but we gave them the chance to get back in the game by giving away a penalty.”

It was conceded in the 75th minute by goalie and skipper Mark Scott who came down heavily on an opponent after getting up high to take the ball.

Not only did it lead to a penalty, but he was also sent off by referee Andrew Connor. That means a three-game ban, and in his absence Bracknell will seek to loan one of Reading FC’s young keepers.

Lock felt a red card was harsh as Scott had brought up his knees to protect himself in a challenge and put his foot out in order to keep his balance.

Fortunately for Bracknell, they had named 17-year-old Joe Whiter among their seven substitutes.

“I had no hesitation in putting him on,” stated Lock.

“We know Joe is very capable as he trains with us each week. He was very close to saving the penalty and his kicking was excellent.”

The average age of the team was just over 22 with the manager commenting: “It’s fantastic to have a side that young as we want to be positive going forward as a club.”

Lock said he was “very proud” of the whole team as they overcame a quality Coggeshall side riding high in the Isthmian League’s North Division.

The manager, along with his players, also praised the tremendous support they received, adding: “It was fantastic the way they shouted and screamed during the last 15 minutes when we were down to 10 men and battling to hold onto our lead.”

One player who played a prominent role in keeping the Essex visitors at bay was former player-manager Carl Davies, who has rejoined the club from Binfield as a player.

“He is a terrific player and I didn’t want him to leave in the summer,” stated Lock.

“It was largely down to other commitments at the time, but he is now able to commit more and when I heard of that I was on the phone to Roger (Herridge).”

Davies made his return in the 4-0 win over FC Romania in the Velocity Trophy last Wednesday and will face the same opponents in the league at Larges Lane this Saturday.

Centre-back Justin Clayton has left the club – one or two more players could well follow – and has been linked with league rivals Marlow.

* THE funeral service of former Bracknell player Jimmy Woodcock takes place at Easthampstead Crematorium this Thursday at 3.30pm.