Chris Agutter says his side head into tomorrow’s long trip to Gateshead in a positive frame of mind following the midweek victory over Scunthorpe United.
The U’s secured a dramatic 2–1 win on Tuesday night courtesy of a late Brandon Njoku goal, and the Head Coach was pleased with both the performance and the reaction shown by his players.
“I’m really pleased with the reaction of the players” he said, “I thought we were very good in the week.”
“As I said post-match, it probably wasn’t the prettiest game to watch but we were dogged, gritty and we really enjoyed our performance.”
“There was better quality in there as well in terms of the more eye-catching stuff. Watching the game back reinforced our belief that we deserved to win.”
Agutter admitted squad rotation remains a consideration following the intense run of fixtures, and despite the travel demands, he believes his side have handled away fixtures well in recent weeks.
“It’s a balancing act,” he explained.
“We were very good against Halifax and Hartlepool and didn’t rotate, but physically we were nowhere near it against Morecambe and that was worrying.
“We just didn’t have the aggression or run hard enough that day. Perhaps that was a reflection of me not doing my job properly in terms of rotating the team.
“But equally we wanted to keep the side out there that had been doing incredibly well. So we may have to shuffle the pack a little bit, especially with the long trip, but no concrete decisions have been made yet.”
“It hasn’t impacted our performances too much because we’ve been great on the road, we’ve picked up seven points from nine against three teams who were around the play-offs.”
“The biggest impact is on the training week. There’s less time on the pitch and more recovery, which unfortunately means more time for the players in the meeting room.”
Tomorrow’s opponents are also in strong form, and the boss expects a tough contest against a Gateshead side who have enjoyed a remarkable resurgence in recent weeks, following the return of Rob Elliot in the dugout.
“I’d put them in the same bracket as us in terms of form,” he said.
“There’s only one point between us in the six-game form guide and over eight games we’ve actually picked up more.”
“Rob Elliot has done a magnificent job since coming in. It’s a great brand of football and they’re a really good watch.”
“They were unfortunate not to win in the week and they also picked up a really impressive result at Solihull Moors, so they’re in a really good place.”
He went on to highlight the structural improvements made by Gateshead under their current manager, but he also believes the match could provide plenty of entertainment for the neutral.
“Tuesday night wasn’t the best game for a neutral – we loved it but it wasn’t one for the purists,” he said.
“But this game could be different. I think it’s two teams with similar ideas and beliefs, two teams improving all the time, so it should be a really good contest.”
“They look more organised, more drilled and there’s more structure and consistency in what they’re doing.”
“You can see the players really believe in the way they play and the form guide suggests it’s working.
“He’s also recruited well and, as I’ve said many times, you’re only as good as your players.”
Agutter insisted his side will match the fight of any opponent as they look to continue their climb up the table, with the heavy defeat to serving as a valuable lesson – something he was adamant about.
“The Morecambe game was difficult but in the grand scheme of things it’s another reminder,” he said.
“We’re only as good as the intensity of our energy and how aggressive we are.
“The reason we’ve gone from the bottom of the league to within touching distance of mid-table is because when we play with intensity, aggression and togetherness we’re very hard to beat.”
“It [Morecambe] is the biggest defeat I’ve ever had as a manager and I’m certainly not going to allow that to happen again.
“The players are on the same page. We’ll learn from it and move forward.”
Finally, the Head Coach paid tribute to the travelling supporters who will once again make the long journey north.
“The away support is proper support,” he said.
“They follow us all over the country and the energy and positivity they give the players is massive.”
“I was delighted we could give them a result and a performance on Tuesday night and we’ll be doing everything we can to do the same again this weekend.”
