Gary Dicker with reaction to the Wimbledon game
Midfielder Gary Dicker spoke to us about the 1-1 draw with AFC Wimbledon shortly after full time on Saturday.
“I think Wimbledon came with a game plan to sit in and not really try to attack us,” he said. “They got a goal, which was poor from our point of view, and that gave them something to hold onto.
“We kept going and big Jabo [Ibehre] is on fire at the moment. He’s in great form and it’s good to know you’ve got someone up there who can do what he’s doing. You knew straight away when it landed it at him that he’d put it away because he’s picking up positions he probably hasn’t picked up before.
“That doesn’t happen with luck. I think Steven Rigg is probably the only other one in the squad who you always think is going to get on the end of something. Jabo is putting them away and long may it continue.”
On the style of play and formation adopted by the squad this season, he said: “I don’t think any team sticks to one shape these days and, whatever the formation, you’re still playing your position. We’re getting used to a different philosophy at the moment but it’s a lot more enjoyable than having a sore neck from running up and down the pitch. I think the way we’re trying to play suits the players we have.
“It suits me better as well because I can get on the ball a bit more. Last year there was a lot of chasing around and trying to pick up scraps. It’s a good dressing room to be in, but I don’t think it was a bad dressing room last year. When you go so long without winning a game of football it does have an affect on you. It hasn’t been the best start this season but we look like we’re going to get more stuff out of games.
“Another good thing is that we’re creating chances. I think we’re going to stuff someone one day. Hopefully that’ll be sooner rather than later. We just need to keep it tight at the back, as a team, and we have to become harder to score against. When we do click we’ll be a hard team to beat.”
“I think it was important for us to bounce back after Tuesday and it’s always good to pick up points,” he commented. “They weren’t looking to do much once they got their goal and some teams can be tough to break down in this league. The draw is a positive but we want to start winning games. Credit to us because we stuck at it and we got a point when we probably wouldn’t have got anything from this kind of game last season.
“We all want to win games of football. We seem to be coming from behind in all of our games so far, so that is a positive. Obviously it would be good to go in front but it shows that we’re not going to let heads drop. I think everyone is enjoying this new way of playing and that does make a difference when you’re playing with a smile on your face.”
Looking ahead to the QPR game, he said: “There won’t be one person in that dressing room who won’t want to play on Tuesday night. That’s the same whether it’s a cup game or a league game. We all want to play football.
“It’s a good one for people who haven’t played in big grounds and with atmospheres like that before. Everyone wants to play against better players so you can gauge where you are. It’s a game we want to win and, whatever happens, it’s the type of experience you can only learn from.”
And on making three starts already this season, having been made available for loan at the end of the last campaign, he said: “I came back, got my head down in pre-season and worked hard. I think we’ve all done that, even the likes of Courtney Meppen-Walter and Danny Kearns, who haven’t been involved.
“We’re paid to play football, so we want to play football. I’ll be doing what I can to stay in the team. You’re in the shop window every day you when play football. It isn’t in my mind whether I’m on a list or not. It’s up to you to get on and get playing, so that’s what I’ll keep doing to try and stay in the team.”
United PlayerHD subscribers can see an interview with Gary Dicker now. Click HERE to go to the PlayerHD platform. Follow the same link for more information on United PlayerHD, and to subscribe.
Click HERE to see a clip from this interview on our YouTube channel. Follow the same link for more FREE content right from the heart of the club.
