Speaking prior to United’s second round EFL Cup tie with Bristol City, Jordan Clarke believes no matter which eleven opposing manager Lee Johnson selects, it’s sure to be one packed full of quality.
Johnson is expected to freshen things up in the Robins’ starting lineup, but full-back Clarke doesn’t see that having too much bearing on the match itself.
Clarke told The Iron PlayerHD: “They’re always going to be strong - Bristol City are a good footballing side.
“I’ve played against them for many years now, and some of the personnel is still the same. They do have quality all over the pitch, and no matter what changes they make, they aren’t going to be anything too drastic.”
The 24-year-old explained how cup competitions are always a mouthwatering prospect for both supporters and players, with the visit of Bristol City being no different.
“It’s definitely a good distraction to have, and it’s also very exciting for the fans to have higher league opposition come to our ground,” he explained.
“It’s always exciting for everyone, and we as a squad are now just hoping that we can turn in another strong performance, like we did on Saturday.”
After finding the back of the net in the 5-0 rout against Gillingham on Saturday, the former Coventry City man revealed goals are something he’s looking to bring to his game.
He insisted that defensive duties are the primary focus, but went on to say that he’s enjoying more attacking freedom on his part.
"The focus for me is to get clean sheets, and then add a couple of goals," he stated.
"At the minute I am up for a couple of corners, so we’ll just have to see. I’m confident in the air anyway, and I feel as though I attack the ball well.
"Obviously I managed to lose my maker at the weekend and get myself a goal, so I don’t see why I can’t keep doing that."
Casting his eye back to Saturday’s emphatic victory, Clarke spoke of the message which the result sends out to the rest of the Iron’s competitors, and added that on another day he felt the hosts could have go on and scored more than five.
“I think it’s a very big stamp which we’ve put on the league, as it currently stands. It showed what we’re capable of and I feel we could have got more goals, and possibly even had a bigger margin of victory,” he added.
“We were defending well, we didn’t feel troubled, and every time we went forward it looked like we could get something. There were a couple more chances which we should have got something from - in both the first half and the second. In saying that, we’re still happy with the five we did manage to get.
“There’s a lot more for us to improve on, but I feel as though the whole team as a collective over the ninety minutes was very good."
See much more from Jordan Clarke and Graham Alexander on The Iron PlayerHD.