Sam Slocombe says the team have recovered from the difficult midweek clash at Worcester.
The shot-stopper also insists the hard work and endeavour the team have displayed of late will be needed in order to win at Bradford on Saturday.The 26-year-old described Wednesday as a “long night” and was relieved to have a day dedicated to recovery on Thursday.
“Considering the amount of energy and hard work put into the game it’s important to recover the day after,” he said.
“Some clubs will even attribute two days for this but we don’t have that luxury due to the game on Saturday. However, we’re rejuvenated now and ready for Bradford.”
Slocombe was quick to commend the efforts of Worcester on Wednesday night, claiming they made it extremely difficult for the Iron over both ties. He described the atmosphere at the ground as one of the most intimidating he’s ever played in.
He said: “The important thing is that we got into the next round and we managed that, whether it was how we wanted to or not.”
The result of the tie was decided after 32 penalties had been taken. The shootout was handled extremely well by both sets of players, according to Slocombe, who described his technique and thought process during the nervy affair:
He stated: “I tried to mix it up a bit because the pressure increases the longer a shootout goes on so I thought some would have taken the easy route and gone down the middle. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case and both teams took very good penalties.
"It was disappointing not to save a couple more but, admittedly, I was happier about scoring mine as opposed to saving the other two! I’d totally forgotten about the sudden death factor with my spot kick; not once did I think: ‘If I miss this we’re out’, which I guess is a good thing. Everyone handled it excellently and we’re just glad to be in the hat for the next round.”
The Iron are unbeaten in seven games, which, along with the return of loanees Liam O’Neil, Richard Brindley and Luke Williams, gives the team confidence going into the Bradford fixture, says Slocombe.
He said: “We have to be confident given the run we’re on at the minute. We’ve got the chance to freshen the team up with the lads that are coming in and we’re all looking forward to it. Bradford are an organised, solid League One club and we’ve got to match them.
“Teams have shown that they are capable of taking points from them but if we don’t put on a performance they’ll do the same to us. The football we’re currently playing, along with our hard work and endeavour, is important. As long as we continue to show that, while taking our opportunities in front of goal I see no reason why we can’t win on Saturday.”
See much more from Sam Slocombe, Paddy Madden and Mark Robins on The Iron Player.