Iron manager Graham Alexander has hailed the attitude of his side after coming from behind to grab a point against Fleetwood Town.
Ashley Eastham gave the hosts a first-half lead before David Ball added a second but goals from Tom Hopper and Kevin van Veen ensured a share of the spoils.Despite admitting United took time to come into the game, Alexander was full of praise for the team’s performance in the final quarter.
He told The Iron PlayerHD: “We showed fantastic attitude to come back from 2-0 down, just after half-time.
“We didn’t perform to anywhere near the levels we’re capable of and we didn’t get up to speed in the game.
“We didn’t take the game to Fleetwood and we were waiting for what eventually happened but after that 60 minute mark, we got a grip of it and created numerous chances.
“Over the course of the match, you’d probably say a point was a fair result but if we were being greedy, we’d say we could have scored another couple of goals to win.”
The momentum of the fixture appeared to swing when a couple of substitutions were made, with Luke Williams and eventual goal scorer Hopper entering the field just after Fleetwood doubled their advantage.
That combined with a superb equalising effort by van Veen meant two Iron strikers got on the scoresheet, which the manager stressed can only be a good thing.
“We know what Hops is capable of and what he brings to the team,” Alexander continued.
“I thought it was a perfect time to bring him and Luke on and it’s good that we’ve got players like that who can make a difference.
“Kev’s goal was superb. It was an unbelievable strike, a fantastic finish.
“Hops scored a great striker’s goal to get us back in it but then Kev produced that superb strike.
“We were looking for more from all our players and once he scored his goal, we saw the real Kevin van Veen and we need to make sure we keep him positive and get that kind of performance from him week in, week out.
“It’s important for goalscorers to get goals. That’s Hops’ first of the season so it will do his confidence the world of good and we know what kind of a threat Kev can be in those kind of positions.”
Whilst pleased to see the squad come from behind for the second league match running, Alexander insisted it’s not a position they regularly want to find themselves in.
He added: “You could see, especially in that last half hour, that we want to win games.
“I think (Fleetwood goalkeeper) Chris Neal was unbelievable in that second period and we’re a little disappointed that we didn’t take one of those.
“It’s a good point however, a tough place to come to and good teams pick up points when they’re not at their best so that’s a positive sign.
“Ideally we don’t want to come back from a goal or two down every week but it’s a good trait to have and we need to make sure we foster that because it wins you points.”
See much more from Graham Alexander, Tom Hopper and Sam Mantom on The Iron PlayerHD.
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