United goalkeeper Luke Daniels is hoping to round off the Iron’s home fixtures for the campaign with the perfect send-off for the fans as they entertain Gillingham on Saturday.
Talking to The Iron Player, Daniels believes the team’s recent strong record at Glanford Park could be the catalyst for three points in the penultimate match of the 2014/15 SkyBet League One season, but refuses to admit that they are safe until they reach the necessary points total.Daniels shared: “We definitely want to end the season on a high.
“Over the last few months especially we’ve done alright here and picked up a fair few points and hopefully we can finish with a win and send everyone home happy.
“Until it’s mathematically done then we aren’t safe. We still have to approach the game in the right manner and do it properly, which we will do.”
The Gills lie in ninth place in the table with no risk of going down or making the play-offs, which means no frets for Justin Edinburgh’s men. Daniels believes the visitors will be tough to break down on the afternoon, and will be looking to pick up the win for their own travelling fans.
Talking about whether playing against the team with nothing at stake can be tough, Daniels said: “It can be, but it can go the other way with them having nothing to worry about and just wanting to come here and play football.
“It could go either way so them not having anything major riding on the game isn’t necessarily a positive or a negative in my opinion.
“It’ll be a tough match like they all are. I think a bit of professional pride will mean any team that comes here will want to go home with some points. They aren’t going to come here and lie down so we have to make sure we are at our best to ensure our survival.”
With the season nearly up, Daniels spoke about how things have changed since he joined the club, and about how he felt his first half-season in North Lincolnshire has gone.
“I know the club were down at the bottom of the league and really struggling earlier in the season, so I think from that point of view if we can achieve survival, that is the main aim to step up and build on for next year” he said.
“On a personal note I think it has gone okay. Obviously we’ve had a little dip where we’ve let a few goals in and things like that which I’ve not enjoyed, but as a whole I believe we’ve done well, and we can achieve survival on Saturday and kick on with next year.
“I’ve come here and just wanted to play games and I’ve done that. Hopefully there will be a few more years to come for me at this football club.”
Looking towards the future, Daniels believes the players have one thing in mind in terms of goals for next season, with eyes firmly fixed on reaching the Championship.
Daniels rounded off saying: “We are looking like we are in a good position to stay up so once that is achieved I think we need to start again really.
“We need to have a real go at it and look for promotion, because I honestly think this club is more than capable of it from what I’ve seen.”
See much more from Luke Daniels, Ned Kelly and Marcus Williams on The Iron Player.