Youth boss Eric Knider spoke to us about what was a disappointing Saturday afternoon display from his young side as Salford City came to town.
“Salford were the better side, they adapted to the conditions better than we did and they played a difficult pitch better than we did,” he said. “We’d warned the players before the game that they would go with the strong wind behind them if they got the opportunity and that they’d look to put us on the back foot early on.
“We also spoke about the fact that they would probably want a slight bit of revenge for what happened in the FA Youth Cup, because that’s what happens. If it had been the other way around and Salford had beaten us in a cup competition, I’d have bene saying the same thing.
“Unfortunately we didn’t adapt our game and we didn’t stand up to what they threw at us. Their centre forward scored the easiest hat-trick he will ever score in his life, and that’s disappointing for us.”
“On the plus side I don’t think we’ve had to talk like this following too many games this season,” he added. “It’s the first time Mark Birch and myself have felt really disappointed after a game this season. That is a positive because it means things have been going well so far.
“I will say that we were a little bit better in the second half, but the damage was already done by then. They were out of sight by half time. Overall we have to hold our hands up and say they were stronger, faster and better at adapting to the conditions.
“Sometimes you can say that the weather played a part, but it was the same for both teams. They got the wind with them in the first half, but the goals we gave away were poor from a defensive point of view.
“It was a bad day for us, we didn’t look solid at the back at all, so it’s now down to have we all respond to it. It’s a game we approached with the wrong attitude because for some unknown reason we seemed a bit cock-sure of ourselves.
“The fact is we’re not good enough to be like that. We either work hard all the time or we come unstuck, as we did in this one. Looking back, Adam Walton should have scored when their keeper tried to play it short, but he smashed it straight against him when he went for the shot.
“Jamie Armstrong hit the post with a long-range effort, which was straight after half time, and that might have given us a lift. But, if I’m going to be honest, I don’t think any of it would have made much of a difference. It was a fair result and we have no complaints. All we can do is learn from it and out it right as soon as possible.”
With a free weekend on the calendar ahead, he said: “We’re trying to arrange a game against Accrington for Saturday because the lads need to get back to playing a game straight away.
“Confidence shouldn’t take a knock, but the best way to show that is to be out on the pitch.”
United – Robinson, Barnes (Steele 69), Leslie, Lightfoot, Wilson ©, Day, Major (Rooks 66), Walton, Gibson, Armstrong, Bell (Birch 61). Subs – Simons, Soper.