United goalkeeper Joe Anyon was happy to see his side progress to the next round of the Checkatrade Trophy after a penalty shoot-out win over Morecambe at Glanford Park on Tuesday.
Sam Mantom had given the Iron an early lead, but Ryan Edwards headed home the equaliser in the second half to take the tie to penalties. Five successful conversions to Morecambe’s three meant United were victorious, and now await details of their next opponent.“We made hard work of it,” Anyon told The Iron PlayerHD.
“The first 10-15 minutes we dominated the game, and looked a constant threat.
“For some reason we took our foot off the gas and allowed them to get back into it. We dug in and created a lot of chances, but overall we got the win and it’s on to the next round now.”
Anyon gave credit to the League Two side, who travelled to play an Iron side who haven’t lost at Glanford Park in the league in almost a year.
He said: “I think that’s any team, not just League One. Anyone is going to want to come here and beat us because we are that good at home, whether it’s Morecambe in League Two or Oxford in League One.”
Anyon saved Morecambe’s second penalty, which ultimately meant the shoot-out was always in United’s hands. The shotstopper was happy to guess right and help the team out.
“I was fortunate to guess the right way and get the save in, but you have to look at the quality of the penalties from our lads, and they were brilliant," he said.
The Iron had Anyon to be thankful for, for getting to the penalty shoot-out in the first place, as he pulled off a great save in stoppage time. The goalkeeper refused to take any plaudits, but to focus on putting right any mistakes made by the team on the night.
He said: “That’s what I’m there for – to make these saves. We could have wrapped the game up way before then but we haven’t, so that’s something we will work on.”
United will now focus their attentions back to League One, and face a difficult test when they travel to Rochdale on Saturday.
“Whether it’s the Checkatrade Trophy or the league, it’s about the lads coming in and maintaining our run," he said.
“We’ve got Rochdale on Saturday and we’re going to go there and try and beat them, we want all three points.
“We’re top of the league and we want to set the standard for the rest of the teams, so I’m sure we will come in on Thursday and move on from tonight.”
See much more from Joe Anyon on The Iron PlayerHD.
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