Manager Graham Alexander was delighted to beat Grimsby Town 2-1 and seal a passage into the next round of the Checkatrade Trophy.
Victory over the Mariners, secured by a Tom Hopper brace, means United will definitely be in the second round following this and other results on the first two matchdays in Group H. The top two sides in the group go through.
There is one more group match to go, away at Doncaster on October 31st, as United battle for the right to finish top of it.
After the Grimsby game, Alexander provided his reaction to iFollow Iron.
ON THE 2-1 SUCCESS…
GA: We’re delighted to win the game – that’s our first priority. Going through to the next round is pleasing. We have another game left in the group, which we want to win again because it’s against another local rival in Doncaster Rovers. We’re pleased to get the result and are happy with the two goals. We could have had more, especially in the second half – which was a much better performance than the first, which was a little bit pedestrian. We played at the tempo we have to play at in the second period. It was a much better performance and we created opportunities and looked to score goals. I’m really pleased with the players and how they turned the lull around at half-time and came out ready to win the game. Whether we deserved the first goal or not (at that stage), I’m not too sure because I didn’t think we created lots of opportunities. It was great for Hops (Tom Hopper), it was a good little move and he followed it in. It was a good finish through some bodies. In the second half, we started on the front foot from the first whistle and took the game to Grimsby. That’s the way we want to see our team play, and the way the supporters want to see the team play. We have a responsibility to get them going and we did that in the second half. It was a pleasing night.
ON TOM HOPPER’S CONTRIBUTION…
GA: He was superb to be fair. He was physical, he ran and brought us into play. He and Paddy Madden really pushed the tempo in the first half on their own a little bit. We needed more support for them but they constantly worked. In the second half, the team got with them and closer to them, supporting them in the forward areas. It was great to see Hops leading the line like that and putting himself about.
"That’s the way we want to see our team play, and the way the supporters want to see the team play. We have a responsibility to get them going and we did that in the second half. It was a pleasing night."
ON ALL THE PLAYERS GETTING 90 MINUTES…
GA: I know how frustrated they are. They train well and are desperate for their opportunity, and there were a couple of tired boys towards the end feeling the lack of games in their legs, but that’s why we didn’t make any substitutions. We thought we played well in the second half anyway but I wanted to give these boys the chance to open their lungs and get their second wind, and then their third wind, and I felt they finished the game strong, which was pleasing. They will be in a better place for us now when we go into the league games, because we know they have that 90 minutes under their belt.
ON THE NEXT GROUP GAME…
GA: It’s a local derby again against Doncaster, and we want to go out and win games – like we did tonight. We want to beat any opposition that’s in front of us. The supporters will leave here tonight smiling because we beat Grimsby, which is good. The focus now is on the league and Saturday’s game against Wigan Athletic.
ON SECOND YEAR YOUTH TRAINEE GEORGE HORNSHAW BEING INCLUDED ON THE BENCH…
GA: We needed another squad member tonight, and I spoke to Tony Daws and Andy Dawson yesterday about who had stood out for them and trained well. They came up with a couple of names and we went with George. We always want to give these lads the opportunity, if they deserve it, and George has done that with his performances and attitude. We look forward to introducing more of them into training and so forth throughout the season, but we’ll only give it to lads who deserve it.
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