We spoke to Mike Williamson following our win at Salford City.
Mike began by saying: “I think it was a special moment for the boys and the fans.
“The performance, I thought we dug in there. We built off the weekend, off last weekend, the resilience with another clean sheet, which is fantastic. I think the fans sucked that ball into the goal with the noise that they've been making all day.
“So yeah, fully, fully enjoyed that.
“The fans are incredible. I can't say enough about them, the support, the noise, the fans, the passion you can hear. Yeah, it was fantastic!
"We've got to enjoy these moments because we know we've still got a mountain to climb, a lot to achieve, a lot to build on. But last week's performance, the resilience and then first-half, I thought we were just kind of playing with the shackles on a little bit. And then I thought second-half we came out and we showed we wanted to run, we wanted to fight and we did create chances, which was pleasing."
It was a battling performance from the Blues, against a side unbeaten in five matches, Mike said: “We had to be strong, especially first-half, we had to be really resilient and we were. We defended with bodies on the line, which is pleasing.
“But, second-half, I thought we just were on the front-foot a little bit more and we wanted to play forward with a desire to play forward and run forward.
"The endeavour that the boys gave and the shift they put in was phenomenal.”
Tyler Burey turned in a good display, especially on the defensive side which isn’t as natural to him. Mike discussed this saying: "He had to stay focused. We've done a bit of work in training this week on that.
“Obviously, we know his strengths are on the front-foot and wanting to get the ball into the box. But we knew how hard it was going to be. Obviously, they're on a good run.
“They've got players that want to get the ball in the box and load the box. So we knew it was going to be tough, but the boys stood up to it.”
We asked Mike how half-time conversations went, after a tough opening 45 where United struggled to get out for sustained periods, he answered: “You've got to appreciate the pressure and the stress that the boys are under.
“We try and take as much of that pressure off them as we possibly can. But we all knew how big this game was today. And then every game now moving forward, you know.
“So it's up to us to try and get them to dial in and focus on how we want them to play. And I felt in the second-half, we did that a lot better.”
"You've just got to show real heart and personality to defend like they did in the first-half and then take the chances when it comes in the second-half.”
Mike talked about how that grit and determination from last week really carried over in to this week, saying: “We've got a lot of personality and we've got a lot of spirit there.
“And that's what we're going to need consistently now. And I said at half-time, we showed glimpses, 45 minutes here, 45 minutes there, where we're really, really hard to play against and we're entering the box. We're getting box entries and we're sustaining attacks."
Kadeem Harris made a bright cameo, as he entered the action for the first time as a United player. Mike said: "There's a lot of positives.
“His international clearance came through. I thought he showed bits of quality and I think the fitter and stronger he gets, the better he's going to be for us.”
Finally, Mike spoke about the fans again, adding: “They were phenomenal. It was a real surreal experience because obviously away from home and the noise that they bring, it was fantastic.
“We just need to keep building together. That's what we need to do - keep that connection.
"The boys need the fans. The fans need the boys. And again, I think that they could appreciate the grit and the determination and the effort that they put in today.”
