“It’s a good week to keep building,” was the message from Rory McArdle ahead of the weekend’s Sky Bet League Two encounter with Walsall at the Banks’s Stadium.
The 32-year-old reflected on four points from the last two league matches at the Sands Venue Stadium and spoke about the spirit in the camp after coming from behind to get a point in midweek.
“Going into the game, we were confident after having a good result at the weekend,” he told iFollow Iron.
“To come away with a point, on reflection, it was probably a fair result and particularly because we went 2-0 down.
“With the way the run has been going in recent weeks, it would have been easy for us to not get back into the game, but I think we showed the spirit and energy levels required and at 2-1 you could sense that we were going to go on to get the equaliser. Even then, we could’ve gone onto win it, but equally they had some chances as well.
“I think, mentally and physically, it showed how strong everybody is. The reaction was good and I’m sure that’s something everyone will be pleased with.”
In the Saddlers is another opposition in-and-around the Iron in the league table. The defender is expecting a competitive encounter with both teams eager for the points.
“With Walsall, it’s the same again,” he stated.
“They’re another team that we shouldn’t underestimate. That’s probably one of the biggest crimes in football. They’ll be looking to build on the recent result that they’ve had. They want to keep climbing the table, just like we do. We need to go there and emulate what we did there last year (where United won 2-1) - be resolute, be tough and we know when we’re in the final third, we can cause teams problems.
“It’s a good week to keep building on what we’ve done. The contrast in the belief and how confident everyone looks is on show and it shows how quick football can change. We want to keep building on the positive feeling and the positive edge that everyone’s got.”
The side took confidence from their first win of the season last weekend and also their first clean sheet. Despite being disappointed not to back that up in midweek, McArdle is looking for the defensive unit to continue getting stronger as they strive for another shutout.
“It’s been well documented that we hadn’t kept a clean sheet all season (until last weekend) and we’ve conceded some poor goals from our point of view,” he said.
“Ultimately that’s what we’re judged on as a defensive four or five. It was important that we got that clean sheet. It was frustrating a little bit on Tuesday not to get another, but it’s important that we learn to stay in games, try and restrict teams and do everything we can to keep more clean sheets.”
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