We spoke to United manager Keith Curle ahead of tonight’s Checkatrade Trophy group game against Leicester City U21s.
Speaking first about the away win at Crawley, he told us: “We analyse every game and we came out of Saturday with some pleasing aspects, particularly regarding our shape. Obviously there are still areas we need to work on with the attacking side of things, but we gave ourselves a platform to defend from with the two dismissals, and that was important.
“It brings us back to Brunton Park this week with a solid display under our belts and any manager will tell you that ideally you want to be winning your home games. Unfortunately we aren’t blessed with the ability of being able to pick and choose which games we win.
“Having said that, two away victories with two clean sheets and six goals scored is work well done. We face a different challenge this week because we want to entertain our own fans, but we also need to get a solid platform to play from.”
Speaking about tonight’s game against Leicester City, he said: “We’ve looked at their last few under-21 and under-23 games so we have a good idea of the personnel they have available.
“It’s an opportunity for us to take on a team with Premier League status and as far as we’re concerned there are shirts up for grabs. There are players who will get game time who need performances, but that’s no different to what we do on a daily basis. I ask them to be professional in everything they do because we have a very competitive squad here.”
And his message to the fans ahead of tonight’s game?
“As a manager I can’t get involved in the external politics which come with this competition so, for me personally, I see it as an opportunity for us to represent our football club,” he told us. “The mindset will be – put in a performance.
“Part of the foundation of this football club is the fantastic support we get home and away. When things go wrong they tell us, and there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s something I welcome.
“I’m there to face criticism and I’m accountable and answerable for every decision I make. I respect the opinions and views I hear because I know that our fans want the best for their club and their players.
“Those who come will get behind us, I know that, and those who don’t will be willing us on to win, because I know they want us to gain positive results every time we take to the field.”
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