Manager Paul Simpson offered his thoughts on the 1-1 draw with Charlton Athletic.
Sam Lavelle's second half strike sealed a point for the Blues against a side who had not tasted defeat in their previous five outings.
And the Blues boss was pleased with the application of his side against a strong opponent
"I think we've got to be happy with that," he said.
"They're a good side, let's not kid ourselves - they're as good as anyone we've faced this season. The pace, the power that they've got the way they move the ball, that's what we've got to aspire to and we've got to try and get to that level.
"We're not quite there at the moment, but I thought the character, determination and desire of the players was absolutely outstanding.
"They hung in there after a tricky start to the game and we changed the shape because we were just getting overrun and were passing it through us, and I think we got a little bit of a hold as the first half wore in.
"I'm disappointed with the goal. The chances we've conceded in the second half, a lot of them came from our lack of concentration and not clearing our lines properly, square passes, mis-controls, and I just said we had to eradicate them as much as we can and if we can do that, we'll give ourselves a real fighting chance."
The United manager also praised his side for their patience out of possession - which laid the foundation for some good spells of attacking play.
"They dominated the ball in the game today, we accept that, but I knew that would be the case," he admitted.
"We just had to be patient. They move the ball and they want you to jump out of their slot and pick you off, but I thought we showed a bit of patience about us.
"Every single one of them stuck at it, dug in and did what they had to do and we made some great blocks in the first half around the box. There was a real good attitude to it.
"As the first half wore on we had a little bit more control and got into good areas. You look at little things and the luck wasn't going our way in the second half.
"We had a little ricochet and against it's dropping to a striker's feet, for us it's dropping into the keeper's hands.
"We'll get it. If we keep working like we did today then the luck will come our way. But we also have to make our luck better by cutting out the silly little mistakes that we make."
Charlton's opener came just nine minutes after the restart and, while that could have proven a blow, it instead acted as the catalyst for a response and the chance for United to show their resilient side.
"It's disappointing that we conceded there," added Simpson.
"We allowed a bit of an overload out on our left hand side and the cross has come in and he gets a nice, simple tap-in.
"It was a shame for us because I though they really dug in and defended well and showed good character.
"That's the big thing we take from today - we showed that character and determination to stick together, because we're going to need that until we get some reinforcements in."