United’s last-ditch winner in the Central League Cup win at Fleetwood on Tuesday was a reward for a lot of hard work from a relatively young team that showed a real determination to compete and see it through.
“It’s really important that these games are done properly, and Fleetwood approached it in the same way as we did, which was good,” gaffer Paul Simpson told us. “When you look at the punch that Jack Stretton took, and the tackle on Taylor Charters from one of their midfielders, it was feisty to say the least.
“It’s more than fair to say that it was competitive and I’m pleased that our players stuck with it. At times there were spells that suggested we might lose it, but we had some really good opportunities to have made it more comfortable for ourselves.
“There are a lot of good things that came out of it and one of those is getting 90 minutes under our belts for many of the lads. They’ll all be fitter, and that makes them better prepared if they’re needed.
“I think as a football club you have to take pride in every performance. When I was here last time we were winning the reserve league and the youth league, and I think it has a knock-on effect if the first team are right.
“It tends to breed a mentality within the football club. I’m delighted we’ve got a good result on Tuesday, it sets us up for the next one and we have to make sure the first team are right as well.”
Bagging an assist for the goal was Jack Stretton, who was a thorn in the side from minute one with some intelligent running and focused play.
“That’s down to attitude,” the manager commented. “When he went over to the right flank, I thought some of his runs were excellent and he slid a great ball across, about three yards out, which Sam was able to finish off.
“There was some really good stuff from him, and Sonny Hilton showed real quality with his range of passing. Duncan Idehen was solid, so the players will take confidence from having got the win and from building up some of the match fitness levels.
“With the younger lads, I think they can see that there’s an opportunity to be involved with the first team if they’re good enough. We’ve had Nic Bollado and Ryan Carr involved in the squad in league and cup fixtures, and Kai Nugent was involved in pre-season.
“If they show us they’re good enough, they’ll get opportunities to play. The nature of this league and the way that games come around means we need a good number of players available. If they show us they’re good enough then the door will be open and they’ll get a chance.”
Click HERE to watch an interview with Paul Simpson on iFollow United now.
Click HERE to see a clip from this interview on our YouTube channel. Follow the same link for more FREE content right from the heart of the club.