Academy manager Alan Moore on the Bury game
Academy manager Alan Moore spoke to us about last weekend’s home win over Bury ahead of today’s Cumberland Cup fixture against Frizington White Star.
“It was a really good performance from the lads,” he said. “Bury have a decent squad and they are right up there at the top of the league.
“The good thing was the lads, to a man, stuck to their jobs. We changed the formation, so they had to get used to that through the first fifteen minutes, but they adapted psychologically and they were outstanding after that.
“We told them it was going to be tough for them before the game because they’d played under the lights on Tuesday night. They needed to pick themselves up from that and we made sure they knew it was another one where they could get out there and express themselves.
“They put a lot into it and they were dead on their feet in the last 15 minutes. We expected that to happen and, even then, they worked hard to keep their shape and they deserved the result.”
“We’ve now played two teams in the league recently who have been going really well,” he added. “Rochdale and Bury were equal in points at the top and we were more than a match for both of them. Bear in mind they also matched a Category 2 side when Barnsley came up here and it becomes really encouraging.
“The ability is there, we’re seeing that a lot, but the question now is whether or not they can do it consistently day in and day out. Some of the lads still aren’t sure how to get to that level where they are giving us consistency in training and on a match day but we’ll work on that and make sure it continues to develop.”
“We created some excellent chances in the game and it could have been a much more comfortable score line,” he told us. “We hit the bar a couple of times and the other side of it was that Tom [Fowler] didn’t have a save to make. We dominated the game and there were a heck of a lot of positives to take away from it for every player.”
“The game against White Star will be different again,” he agreed. “It’s a new type of challenge to play against a men’s team and I have no doubt the players we will be up against will go out there to beat us.
“We’ll have to move the ball quickly and there could be a physical side for us to deal with. That’s all part and parcel of it. I’m confident the lads will cope and we actually spoke to them this week about the difference we have seen from what they were at the start of the season to what they are now.
“That tells us they are learning and they are getting there. Some of them are doing it quicker than others and that’s good for us to see. We’re looking at the season in two parts now that we’re out of the FA Youth Cup. It’s about development for the first years and the second years all now have to look to the future. It’s an interesting period for all of them.”
United – Fowler, Pearson, Marshall, Taylor, Robson, Douglas, Bradbury, Quigley (Moyes 30), Blackburn (Brown 85), Hammell, Elliott. Subs – Burgess, Hurley, Holt.
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