Iron manager Mark Robins is eager for his side to keep progressing in the FA Cup after they eased their way into the second round with a 2-0 victory at non-league Forest Green Rovers on Saturday.
A brace of deflected strikes from winger Gary McSheffrey either side of the interval proved enough for United against the Gloucestershire outfit, whose side featured a number of former league players.The win sees United face a second round tie at home to Worcester City following Monday night's draw, and Robins told The Iron Player: “We’re aiming to get as far as we can.
“We’ll look to get a home draw in the next round, but first and foremost we’ve got to celebrate the win as we’ve not had the chance to very often. Over the last five games we’ve been unbeaten in four of them so things are heading in the right direction.
“I still want to get a little bit more work into the players as if I was critical – which I have to be to try and improve things – we need to be a little bit sharper and pass the ball a bit crisper.
“That’s something we have to work on, and is a continuation of what we’ve started. Things are coming together slowly.”
The 44-year-old was particularly pleased to progress in the competition given the weekend saw comparative giants Exeter City and Coventry City bow out to minnows Warrington and Worcester respectively, and admitted: “There’s a chance that happens every year, and it’s happened to us before.
“It’s happened to me in my managerial career, so I’m pleased to be in the hat. It’s the start of a decent period for us.
“We want to get as far as we possibly can, and as ridiculous as it sounds, we want to win it. You’ve got to try and be in these competitions, and round three is a reasonable target for us, so we’ll take it from there.
“It’s a great competition to be involved in, and it can help you build momentum and fitness.”
The Iron have now lost just once since Robins took charge last month, with that defeat coming in cruel fashion courtesy of a last-minute penalty in the meeting with Notts County a fortnight ago.
Such a run of form has provided an understandable source of optimism after a testing start to the campaign for United, and Robins added: “In terms of results, the lads are working their socks off.
“Sometimes the quality isn’t where we’d like it to be, but other times it is. Last week against Peterborough I thought we were very good at times, and you can only beat what’s in front of you.
“We’ve come up against a side with a similar budget to ours and who have former league players with a real good pedigree, so I’m delighted to come away with a clean sheet and be in the next round.”
See much more from Mark Robins, Gary McSheffrey and Eddie Nolan on The Iron Player.