"I'm more than proud of my boys tonight" - Cheltenham Town boss Michael Flynn after Port Vale draw

How do you react to that stoppage time equaliser?

I am obviously gutted for the boys because they put in a hell of a shift, a big improvement from Saturday and we have just played the best team, or one of the best teams in the league. They have quality everywhere, they are strong, they don't give up, they kept going and going and going. I don't think we got the rub of the green tonight, from the ref. I am not blaming him and I will be careful what I say, but we were told there was 45 seconds added on. I don't know why because there is only 30 seconds added on for a substitution. They score on 93min and 54 seconds, they'll come out with the excuse now of it being a minimum of three minutes, but it was way over. It was three minutes added. It's really frustrating because they are a team that don't need any extra help, so I am a bit disappointed it's like that. If we'd been the ones to score late and got the draw, it would have felt like a win, so I am a little bit frustrated and annoyed, but I am proud of my players tonight because they have just gone against a team with a budget three times ours, a big club going for promotion, slinging everything at it and they are littered with good players, so I am more than proud of my boys tonight.

It is even more galling that it was from one of their rare shots on goal that's gone in?

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I thought Joe (Day) was brilliant, comfortable, mopping up everything he had to do. A lot of it was straight at him and it is a hell of a strike, but Ronan (Curtis) was playing for Portsmouth and he is a very, very good player. As much as I have mentioned the referee, we have to look at ourselves as well. We have missed a header, misjudged, then we have allowed him to cut in on his right foot, then we have left somebody who has a lot of quality, with a bit too much space on the edge of the box. Things we can learn from are that we took a goal kick on 93 minutes and 36 seconds I think it was, can we just boot it over the stand? Little things like that because that is 12 points now we've thrown away and that would make us second, or third on goal difference. You can see where my frustration is.

Are you a manager who says 'if, if, if' because it would have made a huge difference wouldn't it, those late goals?

Of course, but we have won our fair share with late goals as well. I have to give Port Vale some credit as well because they didn't stop. Even though they didn't hit the target much, they kept knocking on the door. We have to be more savvy and switched on, to stop that happening, giving them an opportunity to get a shot off in those kind of timings of the game. I always look at myself and the team first and they did get a helping hand tonight.

Can you find a pattern as to why the points are going right at the end of games?

No because I don't think they are all going at the end of games. It's nothing to do with fitness, you can see them all running non-stop, the boys are giving their all, we have won a few late on too. We are making changes, bringing on experience with Tom Pett and Matty Taylor, but Levi Laing has been out for a while, so it is what it is. We can't bring the likes of Ronan Curtis on, we can't afford those luxuries, which makes me even prouder of the players we have got because they are really giving everything and doing what they can.

You were looking for a reaction after the Salford City FA Cup defeat and you must be really pleased with that?

It was chalk and cheese. It winds me up a bit because I know the importance of the finances for the football club and we didn't turn up on Saturday, we know that. We lost the game and as fate would have it, they go and draw Man City away. I did text Karl Robinson last night and said I hope it's 16-0! We spoke after the game and I wished him luck of course because he's one of the good lads. I can have that kind of message with him. But the draw for the lower league games and I've been on the other end of it when we've had a good draw and it's made the club a lot of money, so to see teams like Bromley going to Newcastle, Morecambe going to Chelsea, Accrington going to Liverpool, it's been a good draw in terms of the League Two clubs. I am not one of these who is bitter and I am glad that they have something we didn't end up achieving.

Tonight's performance must show you that when the team are at their best, they are going to be a match for everybody

Yes and I have said it on Saturday, when we do come off it and we are not at our best, we tend to get beaten. We could have played better tonight, to be honest, but our energy was there, determination, we won a lot of duels. I saw a quote about having all the tactics and technique and go through everything as a manager, but if you don't win your individual duels, your first and second balls, that all goes out of the window. That's at the top of the game and it is no different at our level.

Another goal for George Miller and all four have been from close range haven't they?

I don't care where they are from, or if it hits him on the back of the head and went in because usually we could see that out when it gets so late. It's just a miskick from them, that goes over the top and I don't think he actually meant to do that. It was frustrating and it's gone against us, but they are a very strong team and would we have taken a point before? Possibly.

No Scot Bennett or Lewis Payne, so you had to change the backline. How pleased were you with the defence, especially Sam Stubbs and also Ibrahim Bakare, who had a difficult afternoon at MK Dons?

I don't mean this to be disrespectful, but they are bringing in Ben Heneghan, who has played at Sheffield Wednesday and in the Championship and we are getting Ibra, who was on trial looking for a club. That's where we're at, two different ends of the spectrum. I have a lot of respect for the efforts the players are giving me. They are giving their all, they are a good group and I have to keep on top of them because they are learning the game. Stubbs was brilliant, Youngy (Luke Young), Liam Kinsella, Tom Bradbury had a good game I thought, Joe Day was quality and a calming influence, but you get that with experience because they know how to see out these games. The younger ones like Ethan (Archer) and Jordan (Thomas), in flashes they were dangerous and good, but they have a bit of a lapse, even Joel (Colwill) I thought was in and out of the game tonight. But they have definitely got bright futures and they are learning their trade so to speak to with us and I am sure they will go on and have very good careers, as long as they keep learning.

A good performance with a back three showing you can use the back three or four effectively, so how pleasing is that?

I thought they were going to go 3-4-3 to be honest. They were more a 3-5-2, their rotations are good and their touch is good, so when the ball is going up to the strikers, they are linking it, which allows their wing-backs to push higher. They are a good team. I said to the players and I hope Darren doesn't take this the wrong way, but I don't think they are great at anything, but they are good at everything - that's Port Vale I would say. They are a well-oiled machine and whoever finishes above them will go up automatically.

If you didn't know, it would have been difficult to pick which team was top and which was mid-table, wouldn't you?

No, because it was one of those games. They have some injuries, but they are almost spoiled for choice. We have to carry on, dust ourselves down and I can't emphasise how proud I was of the players tonight. I do feel hard done by with the goal that has gone in, way over the added time.

How is Scot Bennett?

It is weeks more than months and there is no major structural damage to the ligaments. We will now have to see how quickly the swelling goes down and the bone bruising is pain free. I am glad we had a bit of good news on that because not only would he be a big miss, it would have killed us in January because when we are having to wheel and deal, another injury out that we can't replace because of the finances would really hurt us. I am trying my hardest and the players are trying their hardest not to get injured!