Manager Keith Curle gave us his reaction to the Barnet home game shortly after full time on Saturday afternoon.
“The pleasing thing from it was that we ended the game on the front foot and trying to play attacking football,” he said. “We were getting the ball into good areas and we were looking for quality.
“The worst part of the day was giving them something to defend. Other than that some of our passages of play were good but, like I say, what you don’t want is to give them something to hold on to so early in the game.
“I thought they defended well and we caused them problems at the other end. You can tell with the chances we created that it’s coming for us.”
“We can sense that frustration levels are growing and the only way you can deal with that is out on the pitch,” he added. “It’s a nervy and tentative place for the players to be at the moment because we knew we’d lost two games on the bounce.
“Part of my job is to make sure we keep that belief and today was a step in the right direction. On the balance of play you’d probably say we shaded it and we should have taken all three points.”
“The changing room is frustrated,” he continued. “They wanted to win because winning is what we’re all in this business for. There’s a bit of relief after scoring in the 85th minute but the people who were here watching the game will know we had good dominance. We just needed that little bit of fortune to go our way.
“As it was we gave them that goal to defend and that allowed them to keep their shape and put their lumps in the middle to protect their goal. In the end I think we deserved our equaliser because we’ve been working hard and we haven’t been affected by outside distractions.
“The pleasing thing is that we’ve got some good players here now and within that I have options. The selection today gave us dominance in possession and we just needed a cutting edge and for things to go our way.”
Speaking more about United’s goal, he said: “Shaun [Miller] finished it well. We have him, Sam Cosgrove, Hallam Hope and Richie Bennett who are all desperate to score goals. That’s the same with any squad member.
“It’s been highlighted that we haven’t been scoring as frequently this season as we have in previous seasons, but it will come. I don’t think we took a backward step and even though we’d conceded the goal we reminded the lads at half time that they had to keep doing things properly. If they do that the situation will change in their favour.
“Wins are coming, we know that with the squad we’ve got. The supporters have come in and paid their money, they’ve had a rant and a rave at the players but they’ve also got the ball over the line.
“The atmosphere was tense because we all care. Ideally it isn’t the atmosphere you want to play in but sometimes you have to be brave. If you don’t get affected by a supporter base that gets fractious, at times, then you’re not human. We care as much as the fans do, so it will affect us.
“Having said that, it was pleasing because you could tell by the atmosphere at the end that they wanted us to get the ball into the net and win the game. That shows me these fans are behind us, even though they do have their gripes and grumbles.
“Everybody is entitled to their opinion. I’m not going to make excuses for the job that I do. I know that I won’t be able to please every single supporter at the football club, but I try to make sure I’ve got a well organised football team.
“Sometimes I only get judged on what happens on a Saturday afternoon, but there is a lot more to my job than that. I haven’t got a magic wand or a bottomless pit. You have to build off foundations and platforms and very performance and every game is an opportunity for us to build.
“I think we have a good group with good understanding who can take on board different formations and selection situations. The way we ended gave us a reminder of what it was like when we were on a good run, and there is no doubt that’s what these fans want. We showed good tenacity and I’m sure we’ll take confidence from it. From there, confidence breeds results, and that’s what we’re looking for.”
Click HERE to watch an interview with Keith Curle on iFollow United now.
