Keegan Happy To Settle For A Draw!

Last updated : 20 January 2008 By Footy Mad - Editor

Keegan: "It was frustrating if you look at the result, 0-0, and look at the game.

"We certainly didn't play as well as we can or I thought we would, but there are a lot of reasons for that, not least that these players played a game (against Stoke) last Wednesday with 10 men for 60 minutes and were terrific.

"We just looked a bit tired today. That's my first excuse and it's an honest one, that was one of the problems.

"You hoped that wouldn't be the case, or you hoped the tremendous atmosphere and the lift before the game and everything that went on - they were walking into a stadium that probably for the way they have played in the last few weeks, they didn't deserve to have.

"It was an atmosphere they wouldn't normally get and you hoped that would drive them on a little bit.

"But we stuck together, they worked hard. Surprisingly for a team of mine, you might say, we defended well - I give (coach) Nigel Pearson and the staff all the credit for that.

"We limited them to one opportunity near the end, which brought a great save from Shay Given, but there were a lot of good things about it as well.

"They are the minuses. We didn't play well, we didn't deserve to win, but we certainly didn't deserve to lose and a draw was a fair result."