Manchester United head coach Marc Skinner says that he is looking forward to what will be a good psychological test for his side against Durham at Maiden Castle on Wednesday evening.
The Red Devils face their second tier opponents in the group stage of the FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup. Manchester United cannot afford to drop any further points after being held to a 1-1 draw in their opening match in the group.
Manchester United were held to a 2-2 draw in normal time when the two sides met in last season’s competition before going on to win the penalty shootout. The Red Devils struggled to deal with Durham’s set piece qualities and both of the goals which they conceded came from those methods.
When speaking to FAWSL Full-Time ahead of the match, Manchester United boss Skinner said that his side are better prepared for Durham’s set piece threats this time around and that the team have evolved.
“They’re very good at set pieces anyway so they are always going to be good at them regardless,” Skinner said. “What we could do better is give less of them away in those areas, defend more effectively and try to defend with the ball so that we can get a nice rhythm and maintain control in the game.
“We’ve done our homework, they actually play some really nice football, they’ve got a good blend and we have a lot of respect for them.
“We have to try and limit their strengths but also show how much we have grown. I saw growth in our team against Leicester and I am expecting the same again against a very difficult Durham team.”
Durham will be backed by a sell-out crowd on Wednesday, around 1,700 fans will be packed into their tiny Maiden Castle ground. Skinner went on to say that he is looking forward to the psychological challenge that a vibrant home crowd, tight stadium and artificial pitch will bring.
He said “It is very much a mental switch that you have to make (to play on 4G) but I’ve grown up coaching on fields like that for a long time. As we get more professional, I think we do get spoilt at times (with good grass pitches).
“The players are professional and they know it is going to be a tough job. They know what they need to do to take points from this game.
“We know from last season that their fans are raucous, it was a really good atmosphere, the fans are very close to the pitch as well. It’ll be a really good psychological test for us but we’ve got to do what we can, try and control the game as much as possible and then defend well. There’s good competition for places so it should be a really good space for us.”
Manchester United’s FA Women’s Continental Tyres League Cup fixture against Durham kicks-off at 7pm on Wednesday evening.
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