Dale took the derby day bragging rights thanks to a goal in either half, from Dan Moss and Dajaune Brown, and the Head Coach was pleased with how his team adapted to the game.
“I think we started the game well in terms of the performance,” commented Watson.
“I thought the opposition became a lot more aggressive after we scored, and we found it tough at times to be great with the ball and play in a certain way.
“Everyone knows these derby days can be tough, and we want it to look a certain way, but they can bring a lot of nerves. It suits a different style than what we want at times, but I thought we adapted and managed the game really well.
“Today was about getting a result for the fans and for the Football Club. The scoreboard was all that mattered today. We’ve got much more to give and grow, but I look at derby days as almost an isolated game where you just need to get the result right.
“I’m incredibly proud of the boys and how they’ve been all week. We spoke about how much it means to the boys, and we wanted to show how much we’re willing to fight.”
It also made it back-to-back clean sheets for Watson’s men, something he is really pleased with.
“We knew after the Gillingham game that we can’t allow soft goals and soft moments against us.
“In League Two you have to be solid in those moments and in the last two games we’ve shown that we’ve got that steeliness.
“Flinty [Aden Flint] has come in and helped defend the box a lot, and we have that attitude of not wanting to concede.
“It’s a really good base, but we need to build on it and get a lot better with the ball.”
Watch the full interview with Watson below via our official YouTube channel below.
