Manager Graham Alexander has been previewing the away Carabao Cup second round clash at Middlesbrough on Tuesday night.
Speaking to iFollow Iron, he reflected on the mood in the changing room following Saturday’s win over Oxford, the test ahead at Championship side Boro, and the latest injury news.
ON THE MOOD AFTER THE WEEKEND…
GA: Really buoyed by the result and the performance. We were delighted to get our first win of the season and were pleased that the supporters left the ground happy, which they certainly did. We now look forward to the next game. That’s the beauty of this sport - whatever the result is on a Saturday, whether it’s a good one or a bad one, you always have another competitive match around the corner. I was delighted with the players on Saturday, they showed great resilience and really good quality to win a tough game of football. We can take nothing but confidence from that.
ON THE TEST AHEAD AT MIDDLESBROUGH…
GA: You go into these cup competitions looking for good draws - whether it’s games you can win or matches where you can test yourselves against clubs from higher leagues. We know the quality Middlesbrough have, but we always look at ourselves and what we can contribute to the game of football, what we can achieve, and that’s what we’re focusing on. We know we’ll be fully backed by our supporters and we want to put on a good show for them, and show we’re a good team and a good club, and we can build our reputation again.
"We know the quality Middlesbrough have, but we always look at ourselves and what we can contribute to the game of football, what we can achieve, and that’s what we’re focusing on."
ON KEVIN VAN VEEN, WHO LIMPED OFF AT THE WEEKEND, AND ANY FRESH KNOCKS…
GA: We only have Kevin missing from Saturday, so we’ll probably go with the 18-man squad we have left fit, and make any changes to the team that we feel will benefit them. I’ve not seen the physios yet but will get the report (on Kevin) later on Monday. The squad won’t change but we have a fit group of players, we’re only into the fifth game of the season, there’s plenty of energy left in the boys’ legs and I’m looking forward to seeing them compete against a top quality opposition.
ON WHETHER JORDAN CLARKE IS AVAILABLE…
GA: We were hoping he’d train with us on Monday but that’s not the case. He won’t be training on Tuesday with there being the game, but if we can get him back on Thursday that will be a bonus.
ON OTHER ABSENTEES…
GA: Luke Williams, Kyle Wootton and Jonathon Margetts (above) are unfortunately missing. Jonathon has got a knee injury at the moment that he sustained in training. We think he’ll be out for three-to-four weeks. Hopefully we can add him back to the numbers as soon as possible. Those three will be a little bit longer than Jordan. I don’t know about Kev yet but we’re just on the comfort side of numbers.
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