Heading to Port Vale this Saturday, defender Conor Townsend is expecting a tough test from a side who have started the season firmly on the front foot.
Townsend is hoping brush off any disappointment from Tuesday night’s extra time EFL Cup defeat at the hands of Championship side Bristol City, and get back on the winning trail this weekend.The full-back told The Iron PlayerHD: “It’ll definitely be a tough game - they’ve started well.
“We know the pitch there is very big, so hopefully that’ll help us and we can then play our stuff. I think if we play anywhere near where we can do, we’ll be in with a shout of getting a result.
“We’re back to what we’re doing in the league, and hopefully we can give a good showing of ourselves.”
Touching on that loss to the Robins, Townsend didn’t feel there was too much to choose between the two sides and says it was a little frustrating not to progress in the competition.
“They were a pretty good team and I think, in the first 20 minutes, they passed it around us and we struggled to keep up with them at first,” he explained.
“However, in the second half, I felt we gave a better showing of ourselves and in the end we were probably unlucky not to take it to penalties or get a goal ourselves.
“The teams we face in League One are probably a bit more physical. They (Bristol City) play football by passing it around more than maybe teams in our division would. It was a good test for us though, it’s good to play against teams like that because it shows where we’re at and where we need to improve.”
In addition, the former Hull City man was pleased with the manner in which the defence he was part of coped with the pressure the visitors applied - stating it’s a good sign moving forward.
“We spoke after the game, and we know teams aren’t going to come here and just roll over. Obviously we played well against Gillingham, but not every game is going to be like that,” he said.
“There are going to be times where we need to dig in, and really work hard to either get the three points or get a draw. Tuesday was good in that respect, and I thought we did pretty well.”
See much more from Conor Townsend, Graham Alexander and Luke Daniels on the Iron PlayerHD.
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