Eric Kinder on the weekend youth game
Head of youth Eric Kinder spoke to us about the 3-0 victory over Accrington in the opening game of the season at the weekend.
He said: “I thought we played very well, especially in the first half.
“It’s a fantastic start to the season for us and I thought we passed the ball really well. We defended with strength and when you come in at half time two goals up and dominant you know they’re going to come out after the break and go for it.
“We didn’t want half time to come because we were playing so well. They had a bit of a telling off, as we expected, and we took a bit of time to get into our rhythm after the break.
“Jordan [Parker] pulled off a fantastic save when it was still 2-0 and that allowed us to go on to get a third goal and win it comfortably.
“The only disappointment in the whole game was that we didn’t score when Alex Salmon spread the ball 30-yards to Brough. He knocked it over his head and volleyed it just wide, and if that had gone in we’d have been talking about it for weeks. It’s the type of move and moment of skill which deserves a goal and it’s a shame it didn’t find the back of the net.
“There was a different atmosphere ahead of the game than there has been through pre-season. They were very quiet and they were thinking about what they were doing, so you could tell it meant something to them.
“The manager was here and it’s always nice to play well in front of him. He was impressed with the first half and it stands the lads in good stead because he’ll feel more confident in using them when the reserve and friendly games we arrange come along.
“It’s been one of those days where it has been hard to find any negatives. They’ll never be perfect and we did get a little bit sloppy for a period in the second half but these are young lads. It was always going to be difficult to keep the performance levels of the first half going but if you look at our record you’ll see that we don’t keep many clean sheets. That’s something we want to work on and it’s been a good start to get one from this game.
“We play the league champions from last year next week [Preston North End] and they always give us a good bench mark. They will be at the top of the league with Burnley and there’ll be somebody else who comes out of the pack to join them.
“It seems to change every year between Tranmere, Walsall, Rochdale, Oldham and us. I’ve always said I want to be consistent and I want to be in the top four every season. If we’re doing that it usually means we get two or three players through to a professional contract and that’s what this job is all about when it comes to down to it.”
United: Parker, Gwinnutt, Minor, Morse, Staunch, Dempsey, Berwick, Thomson (Dixon 87), Salmon, Peel (Clarey 68), Brough. Subs - Brass, Chisholm, McEvoy.
Goals - Berwick (15), Peel (20), Clarey (76).