United open up the 2021/22 season this afternoon with a home game against Colchester and manager Chris Beech spoke about how ready both he and his squad are for the new campaign.
“In terms of the product on the training ground, the way the lads move the ball, get it back, their ambition and personality on the pitch, it’s very good,” he said. “I’m looking forward to that being put under different pressures.
“We did very well in the first half of last season, though it was after a slow start. You never know what you’re going to get. But what I do know is we’ll definitely be looking to represent our supporters.
“That honesty and hard work and values we’ve expressed since I’ve been at the club, and we’re looking for the technicalities to come out of the players, those great individual skills they have.”
“I’m really pleased with the group we have,” he continued. “It’s a team ethos, it’s not about one player. We’ve acquired good players and we’ve also got room, with a gap in the market, for some youth talent to come through.
“That will be interesting for me to see if they can step up into that domain. It’s different playing in the first team than it is in the youth. Mixed in with the experienced players we’ve got, I’m looking forward to seeing how that develops and the outcome of it.
“We’re confident about what we can do. There are clubs spending lots of money and not getting what they want. There are people like ourselves who have to find a different way. I try to utilise to the best of my ability in these situations.
“There have been good people leaving the club in the summer that I would have liked to be here. But when that happens I have to find the answer to the conundrum before the question comes, before you get put on your back foot.
“I believe we’ve done very well in those areas and I think the standards have gone up. It’s ok me thinking that, you’re only ever valued on winning and we need to make sure we look after that three-point feeling and win for everybody.
“That’s part and parcel of being at the lower end, I suppose, in terms of where we are as a club with finance. What I do know is I’m pleased with the players we’ve got at the club, they’ve been excellent in their pre-season, the way they’ve gone about all the hard work, the various games we’ve played, and getting ready now to hopefully start the season well.”
