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Mean United required for Stocksbridge Park Steels clash

FC United assistant manager Roy Soule has demanded that the players show their ‘mean side’ as the Reds look to climb up to sixth place in the Evo-Stik Premier Division with a win at struggling Stocksbridge Park Steels on Saturday.

Victory would see United leapfrog Bradford Park Avenue in the league table, as the West Yorkshire side is in FA Cup fourth qualifying round action at Kidsgrove Athletic. But in order to get the three points, Soule believes the team has to start being meaner and more ruthless.

He said: “Although we lost against Chester and Mossley (Manchester Premier Cup), I thought the performances were okay. But we need the players to start displaying more physical strength and meanness to win more games. We definitely have the skills and abilities in the squad but the players need to be able to mix it up a bit.???

An extra physical presence on the pitch was one of the reasons why the FC United management team has decided to bring in Greg Stones, who has won promotion from the Evo-Stik Division One North for the last two seasons running with Colwyn Bay and then Chester and has also previously played in the Conference North with Stafford Rangers.

Stones made his debut in the 4-0 win over Frickley last Saturday and Soule has been impressed with the 29-year-old, who is comfortable all over the park. He said: “Greg has impressed when he has played against us. He has put in good dogged performances, he has good experience and he adds some of that meanness that we need.???

Stones will be competing for a place in the starting line up along with the likes of Jimmy Holden, who also gained his first run-out in a Red shirt this season at Frickley after recently rejoining the club. Soule explained why Holden had rejoined from Curzon Ashton: “We always hoped to be able to bring Jimmy back into the fold. He had an excellent pre-season but then he wasn’t getting games and he needed to get games to keep fit.

“He’s got games now and hopefully the team and Jimmy will reap the rewards of having someone who is match fit and ready to do the job. His vision is excellent, he is one of the bet passers of the ball at the club and he also has a top class attitude. He has a few things to work on but we have spoken to him about that and we’ll see how he goes.???

Ben Deegan, who serves the final match of a two game suspension, and Paul Armstrong (hamstring strain) are the only players who are unavailable for the trip to South Yorkshire. The Steels have found their third season in the Evo-Stik Premier Division hard going so far, winning only once at home in the league and that was back on Saturday 20th August against Stafford Rangers.

United are unbeaten in their two previous trips to the Look Local Stadium with a 1-1 draw and 2-1 victory but the Reds were on the receiving end of a shock 4-1 defeat against the Sheffield team at Bower Fold last season, so they know that the match could go either way.

Finally, Soule, who takes an active role in FC United’s community work, was delighted with Manchester City Council’s decision to grant the club planning permission for our own ground yesterday. He said: “It’s absolutely fantastic. It’s a credit to all of the supporters who have put in the hard work in Moston, going out there, speaking to people and getting some people to realise what a positive impact it will have to the area rather than it being something for them to worry about.

“Some of the players might not fully realise the significance of the decision yet and it might not really kick in until it’s being built. But they’ll certainly be told about it by the management team. And when we do finally have our own home, I’ve no doubts that it’ll provide another prestigious incentive to play for the club.???



First Posted ~ 20:19 Sat 29 Oct 2011
News ID ~ 3848
Last Updated ~ 00:47 Tue 16 Feb 2021