United host Blackpool at Penrith’s Frenchfield Park in the second of our Central League Cup group fixtures this afternoon [kick off 1pm] with manager Paul Simpson looking to get more valuable pitch time for some of his first-team players.
“It’ll predominantly be the players we saw for the Nottingham Forest EFL Trophy game,” manager Paul Simpson said.
“Dylan McGeouch won’t be playing, it’s too soon for him, and that’s the same for Paul Huntington and Taylor Charters.
“That means it’s mostly pros with some youth players to fill in.”
On what he expects to see, he added: “There has to be more. They know that they let themselves down, they let us all down, everybody got let down last Tuesday night.
“We’ve got to make sure we have a better level of performance. Everybody needs games so hopefully, whoever gets picked, they’re all out there to perform.
“We need them to show that they’re ready to step in. We’re going to need all of this group this season, this is what we have to work with, we need to batten down and pull together to achieve.
“We’ve talked about free agents, but there’s nothing out there at the moment that will come in and make a difference.
“That’s why games like this are important. It’s a chance to show that we are all ready, so that’s what we want to see.”