‘I might have to take them back!’: Harborough Town boss Mitch Austin blames superstition for ‘landmark’ Brackley defeat
Mitch Austin jokingly blamed his new trainers for Harborough Town’s 1-0 defeat away at Brackley Town, in disbelief that his side failed to take anything away from their visit to St James Park.
The Bees manager, in sarcastic spirits, was in just his socks for his post-match interview with the Harborough Mail, with striker Riley O’Sullivan walking off into the distance with Austin’s new shoes in hand.
Austin was thrilled with how Harborough dominated Brackley from start to finish but had no explanation for his side’s poor finishing, other than it must have been something completely unrelated causing the misfortune.
You couldn’t blame the boss for feeling that way as Harborough hit the woodwork, saw a header cleared off the line and missed countless big chances.
On the standard of finishing, Austin said: “Yeah, no, it’s nothing to do with the players…
“Basically, I wore a new pair of trainers today and as you can see, Riley is walking off with them now and I’m in socks!
“It’s down to the trainers. As you’ll know, I usually wear the same trainers, a little bit green and yellow for Harborough.
“I changed them today and we did that. I got a new car this week as well. I might have to take that back!”
As a result of the missed opportunities, Harborough’s wait for a first-ever away win in the National League North goes on.
But the Bees are unbeaten on home soil and have two fixtures upcoming at the Beehive, against Hereford on Tuesday night and AFC Telford United on Saturday.
Back to the Saints, and on a more serious note, Austin continued: “Brackley are a hell of a club and a team we’ve admired for a long time.
“For us to put in a performance like that, there’s a little bit of good that’s come out of today.
“Look, I’m not concerned. I’m really enjoying the learning aspect. Brackley Town will be a landmark now that we can reflect on.
“Sloppiness and not being clinical in front of goal can lead to results like that, it’s something I’ll always reflect back on.”