United head to Barnet tonight for a rearranged fixture [kick off 8pm] which manager Keith Curle expects will be another tough encounter as the division’s bottom-placed club continue to fight for their league survival.
“It’s going to be a scruffy game,” he said. “They’re fighting for their lives, very similar to Chesterfield on Saturday. They gave a very good account of themselves against Notts County, so they’re looking for points.
“If you fall into the trap of thinking you’re going to go down there and get anything other than a serious challenge then you’ll be in for a shock. They’ll ask questions of you and they’ll put the ball into dangerous areas.
“It will be a physical encounter and they’ll be repetitive in their style of play. You have to match that, and you have to stand up to them. If you start to think you can roll the ball around and enjoy yourself, they’ll give you a very rude awakening.”
“The players will be told to go toe-to-toe and to get close to give themselves every chance of coming out on top,” he added. “Graham [Westley] has gone in there and he’s introduced a work ethic that suits him.
“The more positive results he gets, the more of a buy-in he’ll get from his players. They play direct football, they get men forward and they get after the ball. They have options, but we’ll have a game plan, for whoever they select, because our aim is to be progressive and to climb the table.”
And speakin more about the opposition’s new manager, he said: “I get on well with Graham. We’ve had a few disagreements over the years, but he never shouts and screams at me.
“He’s always been very professional. He wants his side to win and he demands a lot form his players. I’m sure we’ll both doing everything we can to get the victory we both want.”
Click HERE to watch an interview with Keith Curle on iFollow United now.