Shakers World Subscribers can click here to listen to the full interview with the gaffer

"Last Saturday's performance is pretty close to the benchmark for the rest of the season, in the first half I thought we were excellent.  Some people have said that Port Vale were not very good on the day, but I thought that it didn't matter who was in front of us, we would have still played that way.  You have to credit the players.  You can only beat those that are in front of you and in the first half, we beat them really well and to be fair, the second half was pretty comfortable as well."

"Nothing has changed during the week.  We know where we are lacking and what our deficiencies are so we always try to work on that.  A performance like that does make the mood lighter.  It was a good win and a really good performance.  I suppose in a way it does make the job easier through the week."

"The second goal in particular was excellent.  Hursty cleared it from our box and then he's on the end of it to put it home.  It's a classic counter attack.  Elliott used his pace and hit a great ball to Bish and Hursty just arrived on time to hit a great finish, it's a pretty good goal."

"I said after the game that people won't have seen a performance like that in three years, that was a wild stab in the dark but people have told me it may be longer than that.  Everything that we want such as pace, passing and the end product was in that first half.  We were absolutely delighted and we knew that the players had it in them, but when it all comes together, its pretty good."

"I'm not sure if there is a fear factor there after the Aldershot game where we were 3-0 up and then finished at 3-3, but we all know that we don't want to go through that again.  If somebody had said to me would you take a 3-0 at home, I'd have said yes without a doubt.  Even in the second half where they had more of the ball, we still looked the more dangerous and we were unlucky not to make it four or even five."

"We are 20 games in and second in the table, plus it's the week before Christmas.  Nobody would have had us down as second in the table over the summer now, and I have to be honest, even I didn't have us down to be second.  Somewhere around the play offs or within touching distance then everyone would have probably been happy.  We've lost five out of 20, that's a great record.  We've lost one out of ten away from home.  It's a great record and a great start, but obviously it's just a start, we are not even half way yet."

"It's still a very tight league; it's so tight that a draw can keep you in there.  A loss can also keep you there if other results go for you.  Last weekend all the results went for us and that's why we are in second position.  I suspect it will probably be tight right up until the end."

"We travel early on Friday morning and we are guaranteed a good training pitch because we are using Southampton's training ground this afternoon.  We know that it will be good with the facilities and the pitches so that's something to look forward to."

"Elliott has extended until the end of the season.  I spoke to Mick McCarthy on Thursday and he doesn't have a problem with it, but we have him to the end of the season and further should we need him.  As for Andy Bishop, we have made some progress and we have an offer put together that we will be putting to him.  We will see what comes back and then the negotiations start."

"I went up to Blyth Spartans on Tuesday to watch Bournemouth and I have to say that on that performance, I didn't learn too much to be honest.  Jimmy Quinn will probably say the same.  They didn't really perform, but we have seen other performances against teams.  They drew with Rochdale last weekend and at Luton.  They are a decent team, just like any other team in this league.  If you allow them to, they have players that can hurt you.  Really it's about us, it's how we perform."

"They have been scrapping since the start of the season after losing points over the summer, they've had a change in manager and more a less a change in everything.  It's a tough game and as well, we've got the long journey down there, but it's kind of good that we break it up and we will train using some really good facilities.  When you step out at Southampton, you want to train.  We are trying to do everything right for the players but once they get on the pitch, it's down to them."