Jake delighted to be back
Saturday saw a return to action for United’s inspirational captain Jake Wright. The centre-half regained the captain’s armband and led by example as The U’s beat Northampton 2-0 to move back into the automatic promotion places.
After the game Yellow Player asked Jake how it felt to make his comeback after missing three weeks with a groin problem?
“It was brilliant to get back” he said. “I have been frustrated over the last four or five weeks because there is nothing worse than not playing when you are a footballer. It was nice to get back, and nice to get three points. The bonus for us was to keep a clean sheet as well.”
Jake was sidelined by an abscess but has shown typical determination to get back on to the pitch ahead of schedule:
“It was a little bit ahead. We had said six to eight weeks but I had said to myself that I didn’t want to miss four league games and had always set myself a target of being back for this game. I thought I might be waiting on the bench for my opportunity but luckily the gaffer changed the formation and I got back in. It would have been frustrating to be on the bench but I would have fully understood because Raynesy and Johnny Mullins have been excellent.
“Raynesy has come in and been different class. I think he has been our best player for the last four or five games, he has been really consistent and I thought he was brilliant on Saturday again.”
Saturday saw United field an unfamiliar three man defence with Jake alongside Michael Raynes and Johnny Mullins, a shape that they had worked to perfect:
“We had worked hard on it. The Gaffer said this is what we are going to do at the start of the week and we went through our shape, how we were going to defend and how we were going to keep the ball. Fair play to the Gaffer because it paid off and in the first 45 minutes it was as well as we have played for a long time. Even if we had come in 0-0 at half time we would have been buzzing because we knew we had played well. We played the ball about, we tired them out because we moved them all over the place. The goals made it that much more comfortable and when we came in we just said to try and go out there in the second half, do the same again and try and keep a clean sheet.
“We were good in the second half as well, although fair play to Northampton because they changed it and went for it. They put themselves about and made it difficult for us, but at the end of the day it was 2-0 and we were happy with that.”
United are handily placed as we approach the end of the first quarter of the season, as Jake acknowledged:
“Third after eleven games is good. 21 points from eleven games is almost two points a game which is where you want to be so everyone is buzzing. We just need to keep working hard, keep everyone fit: Alfie will be back soon and we wish Jon Meades a speedy recovery as well because we are gutted for him.”
There was also praise for the United fans from the skipper as the United We Stand message shone through:
“I thought the fans were brilliant. We gave them something to get behind and they got behind us all the way through the game so everyone played their part. It was great to applaud the supporters at the end because they deserved that win and now we want to go and get them another three points up at Accrington on Saturday.”
See the whole interview plus the thoughts of Andy Whing and Chris Wilder, only in Yellow Player.