Sergio González spoke to the media after Cádiz CF's 1-0 win over Real Valladolid at the José Zorrilla with a solitary goal from Álvaro Negredo in the final minutes.
Evaluation of the match. "I think we started well. In the first 25 minutes we were good. In the last 20 minutes Valladolid took a step forward and were a bit better than us. I think there was a phase in the second half, from 52 to 68, in which Valladolid were superior to us. They had a lot of sideways crosses, two or three interesting shots with a chance to score. We came out of it and, after 75 minutes, the team took a step forward and I think we were better than Real Valladolid in the last 15 minutes. The goal came from a play that I don't know if it was rewarded or not, but the team showed in those 15 minutes that Valladolid's phase had passed, that we really believed we could do some damage and we managed to do it. Fortunately, football has given us back one of the chances it had taken away from us".
Conan Ledesma's performance. "We also played with a goalkeeper. It's true that they put in a lot of crosses, I think that, in three quarters, their full-backs hurt us because they came in very well. They gave us the double height, we had to communicate a lot and, in the end, they always put in crosses. Conan is a reliable goalkeeper, we have him there for that and, when you're not doing well, the stability in the defensive zone and the fact that the goalkeeper is good gives you a lot of reliability. We went through that phase of 15 or 20 minutes where Valladolid really could have scored a goal, but we had a goalkeeper and a defensive line. I'd like to keep the last 15 minutes: we had a good chance from Sobrino on the back line who didn't make the right decision, the team stepped up and had the ball, a bit like what we want to be and what we're not being. He has shown that he can do it, he knows how to do it and he has conditions. I don't think the award did the game justice, but I think it did us justice for everything we've been through at the start of the season".
Feelings after the victory. "I feel a release, controlled also because I know where I am. I spent a glorious period here, which made me grow a lot as a coach. I understand that there are people who may have different opinions, and I have celebrated with respect for the Real Valladolid fans because they have always shown me a lot of affection, on a personal level, in the street. I have always said it: I feel privileged because they have always been with me to death, with my family, who are rooted here, they have always behaved in a great way and we have a full life here. I have magnificent memories and I think that, as happy as I was, I celebrated with caution because I know what is at stake. On a sporting level it has been a liberation. That straitjacket that we had, it feels like we've taken it away a little bit. That's the life of a coach. I'm happy for the boys, hopefully this is the click we need to get them to trust and to show that we're here on our own merits and that they're better than what we've shown so far".
Coach's impact. "When we are on the bench we try to understand what the team needs. We are satisfied because I think we have been right in the substitutions and, above all, in the minutes and in the moments, trying to stop Real Valladolid's attacks. We have come back and the result rewards us. Football is often not entirely fair, but it's often the other way around for us".
