United boss Chris Beech spoke on Tuesday about the team effort which has gone into making this first half of the season a success – including those off the pitch who have been doing their bit.
“Gav [Skelton] is doing all sorts and I’ve got to thank him for the way he’s assisting me,” he said. “I came into the building on my own and I had to make relationships and try to get the club to be different.
“There is still a long way to go, but Gav has been brilliant. He’s dealing with coronavirus emails that I really don’t want to read and keeping on top of how the lads can travel and get changed. It’s very difficult but we’ve dealt with everything really well, and all of the staff deserve credit for that.”
“Every day is a day to get better, and I treat every day like it’s my first day at work,” he continued. “I never take anything for granted and I make sure my staff stay on it because it can happen, you can get a little bit blasé when you’re winning.
“Like I say, Gavin has been really good, and not just on the football. There’s been a lot going on with the corona requirements and the meetings and rules that come from it, and he’s the link between us the board to bring it through to the players.
“He’s a massive part of why we’re doing so well and he really does deserve great credit. It’s great to have people supporting me like that.
“I’ve got Greg [Short] who wants to get the players stronger and quicker, and Steve Collis is an experienced keeper coach who has great opinions on everything, and I can’t thank them enough for their support.
“Look, we have to remember that we’re only a quarter of the way in right now, so I’m really pleased with the first quarter of the season, and I have to thank my staff for what they’ve done to help us to get here.”
In terms of what’s happening on the pitch, he said: “It comes from recruitment, and without the hard work off the pitch in terms of preparation followed by the hard work on the pitch when the players have to apply the plan, none of this comes together and it all means nothing.
“At the moment we’re meeting in the middle and it’s great to see. Tactically we look brilliant and nobody can get an edge anywhere because the lads won’t allow it to happen.
“That’s down to great energy and to applying themselves every time they put on a shirt. That’s why our opponents are finding it so difficult. Our ability to turn defence into attack with pace and speed is commendable and I’m so pleased for the fans that their players are doing these things for them.
“Tuesday was another opportunity to play on a fantastic pitch and it allowed us to play a quick and entertaining game. I knew it would be like that because Newport are quick and they’ve been together a long time. Michael Flynn is a really good manager and they’ve got a good, strong unit.
“It’s also about personal preparation. I’m so proud of our players and how they apply themselves away from the ground because they’re obviously not going out and doing things they shouldn’t be doing.
“You can see that in the performances and it’s such a shame that we can’t share it with our fans. Again, what a lift we’d have had if they’d been here to cheer us off the pitch after beating the league leaders, because I know they’d have been right behind us.
“Maybe if they’d been here we might have kept our clean sheet.”
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