Match reaction as United take on the Bluebirds
First team coach Andy Melville was delighted with the work ethic and the application as United concluded their home pre-season matches with a 2-1 defeat at home to Cardiff on Saturday. United pressed the npower Championship promotion hopefuls all the way, and the attitude shown pleased the former Wales defender. He told Yellow Player:
“It was a decent work out for both sides. We obviously had a hard week with all the travelling but I thought we gave a very good account of ourselves against a strong side who are going to be pressing for the Premier League. You could tell at times with their movement and the way they passed the ball that they will do well this season. They had a bit of possession, but I thought we could take a lot of positives out of the game.
“We started getting the ball forward and creating a few more chances in the second half. We hit the post and their goalkeeper made a few saves and we had one off the line so we created more chances than Cardiff.”
Alfie Potter grabbed a second-half goal and the competition for places up front is hotting up with all of United’s strikers scoring goals in pre-season:
“The quality in our dressing room among the forwards is very good. Their movement has been very good all pre-season and they have all been among the goals and it was good to see Alfie get another goal. He is a bubbly character in and around the place and he gets into decent goalscoring positions. Maybe last year he should have scored a few more goals, but he gets into the positions and he showed a lot of composure today and we were very pleased for him.”
It wasn’t just the forwards that pleased the United backroom team though:
“Defensively we look solid. We haven’t conceded many in pre-season and those we have let in have been down to individual errors, but we look good as a unit, and there are a number of units starting to come together all over the pitch.”
United now finish their pre-season with games at Eastleigh on Tuesday and Oxford City on Friday night as they put the final touches to the team ahead of their opening fixture, at home to AFC Bournemouth in the Capital One Cup on Tuesday 14th August.
“The boys got really good game time and excellent leg work out of the game and we didn’t pick up any injuries,” Andy told us. “Everyone is really positive and the lads have been brilliant all through pre-season so it’s just a case of finishing things off well now and being ready for the first game.”
Book your place for the Bournemouth game by calling 01865 337533 or clicking on www.oufctickets.co.uk