Jackson Smith praised his teammates and the Blundell Park atmosphere after the Mariners delivered a dominant 5-0 victory over Barrow.
The goalkeeper played his part in another impressive team display, making an important early save before watching Town produce a five-star attacking performance to extend their unbeaten run at home in the league.
Here’s everything he had to say after the final whistle…
On the performance:
Smith admitted it felt unusual to be discussing a 5-0 victory from a goalkeeper’s perspective, but was quick to praise the collective effort.
“To win 5-0 and then drag the goalie in here for the interview is crazy really,” he joked.
“But credit to the boys, fair play to them. I’m buzzing.
“I thought, to a man, everyone was brilliant. There are always things we can do better, but more importantly at this stage of the season it’s a great result and keeps our momentum going.”
On his clean sheet record:
The Town stopper has enjoyed an impressive start to life at Blundell Park and was pleased to add another clean sheet to the tally.
“Thank you very much,” he said.
“I think the team are up to 15 clean sheets now this season if I’m correct, and we’ve got our targets that we want to hit.
“Hopefully we’ll be on course to reach them by the end of the season.”
On the defence in front of him:
Smith once again paid tribute to the players protecting him at the back.
“I probably sound like a broken record every time I talk to you guys,” he admitted.
“But the boys in front of me have been absolutely brilliant.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed playing behind them and hopefully we can keep this run going.”
On his early save:
The goalkeeper was called into action within the opening minutes, producing a key stop to deny Barrow.
“I was involved a lot quicker than I would have liked to have been,” he said.
“I’d have loved to go the whole game without being involved!
“But that’s what I’m there for. I don’t want loads of moments, I just want a few big ones, and hopefully that was one of them today.”
On the mentality against Barrow:
Despite the visitors’ position in the table, Smith stressed the importance of maintaining focus.
“You can’t underestimate anyone in League Two,” he said.
“Everyone deserves to be in this league and there are a lot of good teams.
“On any given day anyone can beat anyone, so it’s all about mentality. We approached today the same way we would any other game.”
On the consistency in the team:
Town named an unchanged starting XI, something Smith believes helps build strong understanding on the pitch.
“We’ve really gelled,” he explained.
“I’ve been here for a decent stint now and I’m massively confident no matter who’s in front of me.
“That goes for all 11 players on the pitch, everyone plays their part.”
On Maldini Kacurri:
Smith also reserved special praise for the young defender’s impact since joining the Club.
“He’s our brute,” he said with a smile.
“He heads everything and fights anyone.
“He’s absolutely brilliant and a pleasure to play behind.”
On Blundell Park form:
The Mariners are now unbeaten in ten league matches at home, something Smith believes is driven by the supporters.
“The fans get right behind us here,” he said.
“The attendance today was brilliant again and we even had our Icelandic fans behind the goal.
“They had the chant going the whole game. I’ll be honest, I didn’t quite understand what was going on at one point and then realised it was them!
“It was a great atmosphere and it finished off a great performance.”
On World Down Syndrome Day:
The matchday also marked World Down Syndrome Day, something that holds personal significance for Smith.
“I caught Rio before the game and said hello to him and his mum,” he said.
“It’s great to raise awareness on a day like today.
“To put in a performance like that and get the three points makes it a really special day.”
Another assured display between the posts and a crucial early save helped set the tone for a memorable afternoon at Blundell Park.
You can watch Jackson Smith’s full post-match interview with the club media here:
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