Defender Jack Iredale spoke to us this week about the draw at Leyton Orient and his first goal in English football.
“No one likes to go on a run of losses so to stop that with the draw on Saturday was good, but I think we really could have turned it into three points, which says a lot about how we turned it around in the second half," he said. “We were a little bit frustrated because we were the more likely team in the end, and we want to win every game.
"We had the momentum in the second half and we felt like we could win it, so it was a bit frustrating not to, but the main thing was to stop the run of results we were on.
“The recent run has been frustrating, but we all know what we’ve been trying to do. We’re all pulling in the same direction and it feels like we’re making progress towards turning good spells and momentum games into maximum points.
“We all believe in what the gaffer is trying to do, we wouldn’t be here if we didn’t. What the gaffer asks us to do is achievable, but we’ve got to do better as players to get that. Saturday’s second half performance will give us all confidence and it proves to us that we can do it, and now we need to show the home fans that as well."
On that first goal for the club, he told us: “I think the goal on Saturday might be my first with my right foot ... in forever! It was nice to get on the score sheet, I just slapped it with my right foot really and hoped for the best.
"I think I closed my eyes when I hit it, but when the ball came in I knew Jon [Mellish] would throw himself at it, as he does, so I just let him do the dirty work for me. He did that and then it just popped out to me nicely.
"There were a lot of bodies between me and the goal, so I knew if I hit it high it would have a better chance of going in. It’s a great feeling when you see it hit the back of the net, especially as a defender, because you don’t really get to enjoy that too often.
"For it to be a goal which brought us right back into the game and give us the platform to go on and try and get another was a really good feeling. Any goal means a lot, but when the team has been on a bad run of results it can only take one moment to lift everyone again, and I feel like that’s what happened on Saturday.
“After I’d scored Byron [Webster] came over and just told me to take a minute and regroup. He knew we had the momentum and we had a great chance to go on and win the game, but he was just telling us we didn’t need to rush it."
As for the feeling in the dressing room after the game, he commented: “It was a nice feeling, but there was still a sense of frustration because we felt we could have won it.
"I think that shows how much we all want this, especially after the run of results we’ve been on. We all want to be doing well for the club. On a personal level it's always nice to be included in the different teams of the week that people put together, and to be in two of the last three is pleasing.
"I just need to keep scoring now! As a wing back I’ve got more responsibility to contribute towards the attacking play, and I got two assists the other week and a goal on Saturday, so I feel like I’m adapting to being more influential going forward as well.
“Every time the ball is up the pitch I’ve got to be either getting crosses into the box or getting in at the back stick if the ball is on the other side. It’s about supporting the boys up top who can really do the magic. I think I’ve got strengths when I play as a wing back or a left back, so I’m happy to do whatever the gaffer needs from me."
Next up for United is the home game against Macclesfield on Saturday.
“We’ve shown the away fans that we can play well, so now it’s about turning that second half performance into a 90 minute performance in front of our home fans, which would be really nice," he agreed. "We’ll be working hard on the training pitch all week on different patterns of play and things like that, so hopefully we’ll see it all come together on Saturday.”
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