Ryan Peters: United "In Good Spirits" Ahead Of York Clash

Assistant Manager Ryan Peters said Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Braintree Town “sets us up nicely for Saturday” as United prepare for the trip up north to take on York City. 

 

The Magpies secured all three points on a chilly night in Essex, with goals from Shawn McCoulsky, Tristan Abrahams and Sam Barratt. It marked United’s first league win since Saturday, 5th October against Southend United. 

 

“We haven’t had a smile on our face for a while, so it was good to get that feeling back,” said Peters following Tuesday’s win. “The first 15-20 minutes of Saturday’s game [against Gateshead] were positive – of course the red card killed everything – but we bottled that, we harnessed that, and used that in today’s game. It wasn’t pretty, but effective.” 

 

McCoulsky opened the scoring in the very first minute, with Abrahams doubling United’s lead before the stopwatch reached double digits. A Braintree goal in the second half briefly threatened a nervy end to the game, but all was put to rest when Barratt converted a penalty in the 74th minute. 

 

“[We went] back to our brilliant basics – we’ve probably neglected that for a little while,” Peters explained. “[These include] clearances being big, turning teams around when we’ve had to, being clinical in both boxes – we did that today. We conceded a goal when we probably shouldn’t have, but that’s me being ultra-critical. I thought we were good value.” 

 

Attention turns to Saturday’s clash at the LNER Community Stadium, where the Magpies visit a York side who lost 3-0 at Altrincham earlier in the week. The two teams have won a game each in their four encounters to-date, adding to a pair of 1-1 draws last season. 

 

It’s set to be a tough game against a side which currently sits 3rd in the National League, but United will be buoyed by Tuesday’s performance ahead of the long trip north. 

 

“The boys are in good spirits, and the win sets us up nicely for Saturday,” Peters concluded.