Boyce: We're pleased with how we managed to put them under pressure

Defender Andrew Boyce was really pleased with the way the 3-2 home pre-season friendly victory over Sheffield United panned out on Saturday.

Speaking to Iron Player about the game, Boyce said: “I thought in the first half we implemented our game plan which was to press high up the pitch, leave no spaces, one goes we all go, and I think it worked obviously as we got some success from that.

“I thought in the second half their quality shone through a little bit more, as they brought on some more experienced players and then we were on the back foot a little bit and they got a couple goals back. Overall, I thought it was a very good game to be honest, a good workout and it was nice to win games, that’s what we want to do."

When asked about if the method of the three weeks' pre-season training so far helped the team get the result on Saturday, Boyce replied: “Definitely, I think the gaffer will be really happy with that, especially the first half because that’s how we want to play. We want to put teams under pressure, they are very good players and we managed to do that to them so I’m sure the gaffer is happy with that."

Speaking about new signing Colln Daniel’s impact on the game on Saturday, having scored two of the Iron's goals, Boyce stated: “He’s got that bit of quality, he won some good headers down the line as well so he’s got that side as a big lad and obviously he’s calm in front of goal as well."

Back playing in front of the home fans for the first time since re-joining the club this summer, Boyce said, “It was good, I enjoyed my time here.

“I didn’t play as many games as I would have liked to here, I think it was about 30, but I really enjoyed it so it’s nice to be back playing in front of them.

“Touch wood I get no injuries, I’m usually available for every game I'm picked with a good injury record so I want to play as many games as I can. I always have done.”

Speaking about a potential partnership with fellow centre-half George Taft, Boyce stated: “We talk to each other, we’re both similar players, so hopefully we can strike a partnership up. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t.

“We’re quite matey as well to be honest, we get on with each other so it’s good signs."

Looking ahead to Tuesday’s next friendly clash against Rochdale, Boyce said: “Obviously we put them (Sheffield United) under pressure today but they were still looking for passes and trying to play out. When we play teams towards our level, they're probably going to get it out their feet and go down the line.

“We’ll be defending a lot more than we were in the first half, so it’ll be a different game but a different challenge. We'll try and implement our same game plan and see how that goes.

“We’re still in pre-season and we’re still playing under fatigue. We’re still not as fit as we want to be, and we want to get fitter. I think we’re doing well though, like I said I think the gaffer is really happy with Saturday, so we'll keep going."

See moe from Andrew Boyce and Tony McMahon on Iron Player.