Eckert “happy” with performance
Tonda Eckert took plenty of positives from Saints’ final act of 2025, as his side came away from Birmingham with a 1-1 draw on Monday night.
After a goalless opening 45 minutes, Phil Neumann gave the hosts the lead after a scramble in the box shortly after the break.
Eckert looked to his bench in response, with the trio of Cam Bragg, Elias Jelert and Cam Archer combining as the latter grabbed a third goal of the season to claim a point.
Reflecting on a battling draw, Eckert said: “I'm happy with the performance. We knew that it's a team that comes up with high energy against you, especially in the first half. I think you just need to play some longer solutions to just go over the press and make sure you get into their half.
“I think we did this quite well in some moments. We could do it better in other moments. I think we came out very strong in the second half. Obviously, it doesn't seem like it when you concede, but I think the first big chance is on our side after the free-kick to go up. Then we concede on the next situation down the other end and then you know how it is. It is not so easy to give that momentum back in our direction. I think we've done that very well today.
“We know, especially in a block of games that we have at the moment, that you will always bring a game to 60 minutes, and it's not always decided in one or the other direction. we knew that we needed that and I'm very happy for the substitutions today.”
Commenting on the contribution of Archer and Jelert, who was making his first appearance since October, Eckert added:
“To complete the story, obviously, if you see the home game we played against Birmingham, he [Archer] was very close to scoring there as well. I think he came on very strong in that game and it's always important for a striker to put the ball in the back of the net and I just hope that this gives him some confidence going forward.
“He [Elias] looked good in training already. He's a very intelligent player who recognises moments and I'm very happy to have him back in the team.”
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