Midfielder Neal Bishop believes there is still more to come from the Iron, despite the good start to the season.
United beat local rivals Doncaster Rovers 1-0 last Sunday and the 36-year-old knows that Portsmouth will provide another tough test.
Speaking to iFollow Iron, Bishop previewed this Saturday’s game and took a look at the visitors to Glanford Park.
ON THE DONCASTER VICTORY…
NB: We got another clean sheet, which is important, and we’re looking to build on that. Obviously, we would have liked more goals and a bit more threat going forward, but it wasn’t to be. The lads dug in really well in the second half. For all the pressure they had, I don’t think they had a shot on target for the last half hour of the game, which speaks volumes for the commitment and desire to keep clean sheets. It’s not just the back four, it starts with the strikers. The forwards are the first line of the defence and our lads do it so well and deserve a lot of the credit.
"The forwards are the first line of the defence and our lads do it so well and deserve a lot of the credit."
ON THE PORTSMOUTH MATCH…
NB: With a lot of the newly promoted teams, they have a lot of confidence after coming off a successful season. They had a great result at home on Saturday. They’re a good team and have got some good players. We respect every team in this league, but the majority of our focus is on us and what we do well. Especially at Glanford Park, we like to take the games to the opposition. They will cause us threats if we’re not fully at it. If we’re 100 per cent on Saturday, we’re confident we will come out with a result. It’s great to have lots of away fans in the ground. It adds to the atmosphere. Portsmouth are a big club and have a great following. They are the games you want to play in as a player.
ON THE LOW NUMBER OF GOALS CONCEDED…
NB: It’s good, but it’s early days. It’s not something we take for granted. We do a lot of work on the training ground day-in, day-out. It’s not something we think we’ve got sorted, we’re constantly reinforcing it and the staff are good for the drills we do. We test the back four every day. We would like to score more goals because it’s a bit nervy holding onto a one-goal lead. It’s a work in progress and we know there is much more to come from this team.
ON HIS FITNESS…
NB: I feel really good. I completed every day of pre-season, which I’m proud about. That’s important at any age. You’ve got to get the pre-season in your legs, you’ve got to work hard and you’ve got to push yourself to the limit. I managed to do all of it, so I’m reaping the benefits of it.
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