United centre back David Mirfin believes Saturday’s clash with Gillingham will be a good barometer for where the side is currently at, given the Gills’ positive start to the new campaign.
Justin Edinburgh’s side have mirrored the Iron’s form so far, taking seven points out of a possible nine, and Mirfin says both sides will be approaching the match in a very optimistic frame of mind.
Speaking to The Iron PlayerHD, Mirfin said: “They’ll (Gillingham) be going into Saturday’s game as confident as we are. It’ll be a tough game, but I think it’ll be a good game and one you want to be involved in.
“It’s going to be a good marker for us coming up against a good Gillingham side. We’re full of confidence, but we know we’ve got to turn up and impose ourselves if we’re going to get anything out of it."
The defender also looked back on Tuesday night’s away success against AFC Wimbledon, a match which Mirfin feels the visitors did superbly to take maximum points from.
He paid tribute to the battling spirit the whole team showed, while adding that the first half display is something he and the rest of his teammates will be looking to replicate on a more regular basis.
“We were obviously delighted to come away from it with three points. I think going into the game we knew it was going to be a physical test, and the way we set up in the first half allowed us to impose ourselves on the game,” he explained.
“I think the first half showed what we can do if we get everything right and start the game properly. In the second half they played a lot more direct, the crowd got behind them, and I thought we defended well."
Mirfin went on to say that there were a lot of plus points to take out of the clash with the Dons, none more so than the gritty nature in which the defence he’s a part of coped with the significant aerial threat the hosts provided.
“We were a little disappointed to concede the goal, but apart from that I think we did the ugly side of the game that I think you need in this if you’re going to do anything successful,” he stated.
“Tuesday night showed different sides of our game, and I think that’s important. We’ve got players which can do both sides of the game well, which is always a good sign.
“Towards the end of the season, when pitches aren’t as good and it’s not as easy to get the ball down and play, it’s definitely going to be a battle. However, we’ve shown a side now, which hopefully we can continue to show when we need too."
See much more from David Mirfin, Graham Alexander and Stephen Dawson on The Iron PlayerHD.