Dale exited the competition after defeat at the Crown Oil Arena, but the Head Coach felt the 4-1 scoreline didn’t reflect the game.
“We’ve played different sides and looked at different things in these games,” commented Watson.
“In the first half tonight, we set up slightly differently, and I thought we looked really strong. There were loads that I liked about the first half in particular.
“Unfortunately, we suffered two injuries, and we had to play people out of position in the second half.
“I’m really proud of how hard the boys worked tonight. The scoreline doesn’t reflect the game, in my opinion.
“We were quite comfortable, and I feel like their first goal came from a blatant free kick that we should have had.
“We have to get better towards the end of the game so that we don’t concede these types of goals, but there’s a lot for us to build on tonight.
“The last two games have been really disappointing, and we’ve all felt it. Tonight, there were lots of individual performances and collective moments for us to build on, which we wanted to use tonight for.”
Ian Henderson made his record-breaking 532nd Dale appearance and marked it with the opening goal.
“I thought Hendo was amazing tonight. How much he runs and works for the team, his little touches and how he controls the ball.
“He’s a top, top player and an unbelievable human. It was a pleasure for us all to be part of a special moment for him tonight.
“We’ll get to celebrate that with him in a few weeks’ time in front of the fans for a league game, but I can’t speak highly enough of him. It’s amazing to be part of a special journey from him.”
Watch the full interview with Watson below via our official YouTube channel.
