We spoke to Mark Hughes ahead of our trip to Morecambe.
Speaking to CUTV, Mark began by recapping the positive result at the weekend, and looking ahead to the clash with the Shrimps:
“It’s been a very positive week, as you would imagine.
“it was a good win against Newport. It was a difficult game initially, but we saw our way through it. We got a lot of confidence, a lot of belief from the performance and the result.
“It was important that we won the game, clearly, on the back of two difficult games away from home.
“So to come back and win at home. Our recent home form has been good, two wins and a draw in the last three games. So the expectation now is that we play well at home.
“We've got to translate that to away games as well. It's not going to be easy at the weekend. Morecambe are fighting for their lives as well.
“It's unusual, really, in my view. We've got decent points on the board, given our circumstances. They're starting to pick up points.
“Tranmere have been on a great run. I don't recall that happening on too many occasions. Where a lot of teams, all three of them, are picking up points at key times and crucial times in the season.
“So, yeah, it's a huge game for everybody, for ourselves and Morecambe, but the teams around us as well.”
Archie Davies was withdrawn through injury on Saturday, Mark gave us the rundown on his condition, saying:
“He's likely to be out until next season, but it's not as serious as we first thought.
“It's serious enough, clearly, but there was a worry that he might have had to have it repaired, but it's not that catastrophic.
“So, it's a hamstring strain, which is clearly four to six weeks.”
Mark confirmed that Cameron Harper was set to return, after training this week, and also provided an update on Sam Lavelle who came off injured against Chesterfield:
“We'll have to look at Sam. Obviously, he's the captain who wants to be involved, but we have to be a little bit mindful. The ankle is still a little bit swollen, but we'll see how he goes tomorrow, and then I can make a decision.”
Mark then spoke more on the Morecambe game, and what he expected:
“Both sides will want to win, obviously. I think Morecambe are very direct, you have to say, having watched a number of their games. They get the ball forward very quickly.
“They've got decent talent at the top of the pitch. I worked with Lee Angol at Bradford, and he's a talented boy. They've got threats, and they keep recycling, keep putting the ball into areas and hope for mistakes.
“So, we've got to deal with that. But then when the time and the place presents itself, we've got to play our stuff.”
The Blues have a decent record at Morecambe. We asked Mark if he felt that had much impact, he responded:
“Well, sometimes it does. Sometimes there's teams that you go up against, and it doesn't matter what year or what circumstances, there always seems to be this similar result.
“You can't really work it out why it happens, but maybe that's the case with ourselves and Morecambe.
“Let's hope it is the case.”
It could be a big weekend in the battle for survival, with Tranmere and Accrington also meeting on Saturday. Mark insisted that the focus was on his own team:
“Like I said, we're still in that place where we just have to get on with what we can affect, and all we can do is try and win all the games that we have left, and that's what we'll attempt to do."
With over 1,600 United supporters travelling to Morecambe, Mark spoke on the impact they can have:
“We talk about them every week. They were fantastic, again, at the weekend.
“At 2-0 down, they were within their rights to be upset and frustrated, but there wasn't any great swell of opinion in that direction, even at 2-0. I think they felt that we were very much in that game, like we felt ourselves, and once we got one goal on the board, 2-0 is very difficult to defend.
“If you can get the next goal, the third goal, then all of a sudden the momentum changes, and the goal that we got, Georgie Kelly’s goal just before half-time, was really important for us, because from that point onwards I didn't feel that we were going to lose that game.”
