Iron manager Stuart McCall is looking forward to the Checkatrade Trophy clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers U21s for a number of reasons, as he prepares for his first home game in charge of the club.
Talking after Saturday’s 1-1 away draw at Accrington Stanley, the United boss expressed his disappointment with the first-half display in particular, but said he was looking to forward to pointing out to the players where they can improve going forward.
Tuesday’s match will see a strong side named, although there will be three or four players out as a precaution.
“We want an improved performance from Saturday, that’s for sure, and it will be good to see some of the other players out there,” McCall told iFollow Iron.
“I’m sure it will be a competitive game against Wolves, and it’s something we’re looking forward to. We want a really good performance going into the Rochdale league match on Saturday, and obviously want to win the game.
“Like any match, you want to win and try to create a winning culture and mentality in the club, which builds momentum and belief. Having said that, the things we’ve talked about recently, I want to see implemented on the park.
“We have three or four injuries, but nothing major. I think the lads we’ll leave out on Tuesday will all be available for Saturday, but we’ll go as strong as we possibly can without those lads.
“Naturally, we want to go as far as we can in this competition. It would be nice to get a trip to Wembley, although that is a long, long way away. You’re in it to win it, so let’s do the best we can.”
Lee Novak will be assessed ahead of the game after suffering a dead leg at the weekend, although Ryan Colclough will be fine after suffering a knock against Accrington.
Ike Ugbo will definitely miss out though, as he is cup-tied having played for Chelsea in the competition earlier in the season.
As touched on in the introduction, it will be McCall’s first home game as manager of the club – although you may not see him in the dugout at the start.
“I might watch from a little higher up in the stand just to get a look at things," he explained. "I like to watch these types of games from higher up. We’re not 100 per cent sure of the way Wolves will go about it and you can see things better from an elevated view.
“We played Man City and Stoke with Bradford, and I know Leicester came here last year and played a strong side, so it’s one of those where you don’t really know until the teamsheets come in.”
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