United midfielder Luke Joyce has had to be patient, but he made quite an impact when he came on for the second half against Port Vale on Saturday.

He told us after the game: "I suppose the first thing you have to say is that to win 3-2 in exactly the same fashion, two years on the trot, is very strange. You don't see that very often at all. I suppose the one everyone will think of is the Liverpool v Newcastle games, and it's certainly the only thing like it that I can remember. From a players point of view it was a really excellent game to be involved in, and another terrific result."

"Football is a game of chances," he stressed. "You have to be ready to take them whenever they come, and in whatever situation. Obviously for me, personally, it was a great 45 minutes. My first chance was getting on to the pitch and my second chance was the one I took for the goal, and then I had a hand in our second as well, so I'm very pleased with how I played."

"What I'm really hoping is that I've made it very, very difficult for the gaffer to leave me out now," he confirmed. "I want to be in and around the first team, and playing games, and I know that I've really got my chance against Vale because Bridgey's got himself suspended. Him and Lummy have been doing brilliantly so far this season, and it's those guys who've got us where we are, so all I can do is keep going, keep doing my best and hope that the gaffer includes me."

"I have to say I didn't really think we deserved to be two down at half time, in terms of the way we played. I don't think we played all that badly really, and you have to give Port Vale credit for the way they took their chances. They only had one or two attempts on goal and have hit us well on the counter attack a couple of times. At half time John actually said to us that he didn't think we'd played badly. I mean one of the things I noticed as I was coming off was that, usually if you're 2-0 down at half time at home, you'd expect the crowd to be giving you a bit of stick, but everyone was cheering the lads off and urging us on, and I think that gave us a big, big lift. I think it gave us that confidence to say; 'Come on this isn't over, and we can still get something out of the game.' Having the fans behind you always helps, and they're like a 12th man at times. When we came out after half time I think we were a lot more direct, we upped the tempo, it was quicker and we tried to get the ball down and play, and I think it was there for everyone to see that they started to struggle with that."

"What is also pleasing is that the midfield have chipped in with the goals as well," he said. "Danny and Joe have done fantastically for us in that department this season, but the manager has said to us in the past that on the days they don't score, it is important that the rest of us can find a way to chip in. I thought Danny and Joe actually worked their socks off for us and gave the team everything. They brought people in to play and held it up, and I think they deserve a big pat on the back for that. However, it didn't go in for them today, so it's nice and also important that I've got one and Si, who has a few to his name this season, has scored another two."

"As for my goal, I'd like to think that I'm one of those players who can make bursts in to the box and get on to the end of things," he explained. "That's a skill, or an option I think I can give the side, and that's really where the goal came from ... just get in there and see what happens. I think I've got the legs and the fitness to play that sort of game, and I've been doing that and scoring goals like that in the reserves so far this season. I think I'm on eight or nine now in the reserves. Of course, some days you can make ten runs in there and the ball won't fall anywhere near you but, eventually, if you keep getting in there, there will be one time when it does, and then you just hope you take the chance. Fortunately enough I did and I'm pleased that it played a part in keeping our run going."

"I can't really claim too much credit for the pass for the second, if I'm honest," he admitted. "It all happened very quickly. I think someone knocked it down and I've gone for the second ball, got there ahead of their lads and just tried to hook it on. Si's got good pace and that's taken him away from their defenders and on to it, and I know people are talking about his second, but that first one was a really great finish."

"As I say though, what we want to do now is keep the run going," he said. "The media will build it up a bit now we're back up to second, but for us it's still a case of heads down and work hard. We're not kidding ourselves, we're up there on merit, but the second you start believing the hype you're in trouble, so we'll just keep doing what we've been doing all season."