Manager Graham Alexander is expecting another difficult game for his side on Saturday when Blackpool are the visitors to Glanford Park.
United remain unbeaten in the league and are coming into the game on the back of two away wins, but Alexander still reckons there is more to come from his team.
He spoke to iFollow Iron ahead of the weekend’s game, amongst much more.
ON THE BURY WIN LAST WEEK…
GA: Delighted with the result and delighted with the performance. I felt it was three points we thoroughly deserved. We were frustrated at the disallowed goal, but it was important that we didn’t let that frustrate us in our performance and cloud our judgement, which it didn’t. We put it to the side and carried on playing and to score the winner in that fashion was really pleasing. The following we took on Saturday was fantastic as well – it was great to see those scenes at the end. It was a great week for us with the points tally. As always, we put that to bed and concentrate on the next one.
ON PREPARTIONS FOR THE BLACKPOOL GAME…
GA: It’s been very good. We’ve put the players, especially the lads that didn’t play last week, through a bit of a reboot on fitness levels because we want to keep them up to speed, ready for their opportunities. It has been a tough week for those boys. We just feel that when they’re called upon, which they will be, they need to be ready so they can do themselves justice and perform as well as they can. We’re looking forward to picking the right team.
"As always, we put that to bed and concentrate on the next one."
ON THE BLACKPOOL GAME…
GA: They’ve done really well. They’ve only lost their opening game in the league, so Gary Bowyer’s done a really job there last season and the start of this one. We know it will be a tough game for us and we know they’ve got some real good talent. They are very well-organised, know what they’re doing and we’re going to have to be at our best again to get three points. We see signs of improvement in each game. I think it’s building. We’re not looking for massive improvements because we know we’re a good team and each game we’re trying to up the performance and fitness levels of the individuals and the team. We’re still not at full pace, I would guess. We know we’re going to be challenged every single week in this league and we have to be up for those challenges. All I’m focused on is getting our players ready for a tough game and making sure it’s a real tough game for Blackpool.
ON PLAYING BACK HOME AT GLANFORD PARK…
GA: Home or away, we stick to the same mentality. We go to win games and we want to put on a performance the supporters are proud of. Obviously at Glanford Park we will have more backing than we do away from home, but our approach going into the game is still the same. We still want to take the game to the opposition and play on the front foot. We also want to create chances and score goals. We just look for the same things, we want to keep it quite simple for the players.
ON LEE NOVAK AND ANDREW CROFTS SETTLING IN…
GA: They’ve settled in really well. It was a last minute thing with deadline day. I was unsure whether to involve them on Saturday, after just one morning’s training, but they are experienced lads. They know the game, know how to play and they’ve already played this season with their previous clubs. It was a case of throwing them in onto the bench. Obviously, Crofts didn’t come on but Novak did and certainly helped us go on to win the game. I thought being able to bring on Novak, Kevin van Veen and Duane Holmes at a late stage in a game, is a fantastic position for me to be in. It’s good to see that they’re ready to come on and help the team improve, help us win games and every single week is basically a 14-man game.
ON THE LONG-TERM INJURIES…
GA: They are progressing slowly. Luke Williams (hamstring) had an operation last Monday. He will be out for two-to-three months. We want him back as quickly as possible because we know he’s a quality player. It’s the same with Jonathon Margetts really, he’s at an inbetween stage where we have to see how the next couple of weeks go before we know how long he’s going to be out for - whether it’s going to be short-term or a little bit longer. We’re hoping that in two-to-three weeks his recovery goes well.
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