United defender David Mirfin claims his side’s start to the season on a whole has been positive, but the club need to bounce back from Saturday night’s 3-1 loss to Port Vale.
Luckily for the team, they have the chance to put right the wrongs from the weekend when they face Middlesbrough at Glanford Park on Tuesday night in the Checkatrade Trophy.“I think first and foremost we were disappointed with our own performance,” Mirfin told The Iron PlayerHD.
“Refereeing decisions, going down an extra man because of Kev’s injury, and having already used all of our substitutions was out of our hands.
“But as a group we were more disappointed with how we performed on the day though.”
Mirfin stated he believes the fact that Saturday’s opponents in Vale were much fresher for having not played a game on Tuesday played a factor in the result.
“They didn’t have a game at all on Tuesday, and most of our lads played 120 minutes. However, we’re paid to be fit lads so that shouldn’t be an excuse," he said.
“Any player will tell you that after losing a game the first thing you want is another game coming up straight away, and that’s what we’ve got.
“It’s a chance to put in a good performance and get a good result, with a little break after.”
The EFL Cup second round loss to Bristol City was the first game Mirfin had missed this season, but he was happy to step aside and let Charlie Goode deservedly take some plaudits.
“The gaffer took me aside and told me it’s a bit of a chance to get a bit of a rest," he said.
"I think I would have been fine but I have to look at the season as a whole and I want to be right for every league game.
“He (Goode) did really well. He’s done it every time he’s been asked to step in, whether he’s started or come on as a sub.
“Charlie has a lot of experience from his time in non-league, and had a good season last year and I know he wants to build on that.”
Despite the loss to Vale, the Iron are still third in the League One table, and Mirfin believes the club’s start could prove pivotal by the end of the season.
“If you’d have asked me before Saturday I’d have said we were delighted. But now we’re all a little bit disappointed, because the three points would have taken us top," he said.
“If you look at the difference between the start to last season and where we finished, we know we’ve started well and have put in a good foundation to build on."
See much more from David Mirfin and Graham Alexander on The Iron PlayerHD.
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