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O'Connor taking nothing for granted ahead of Checkatrade decider
Written by Rory Mitchinson
Stefan O’Connor insists that Newcastle United’s second string will not be taking their foot off the gas as they look to clinch their progression to the Second Round of the Checkatrade Trophy against Grimsby Town on Tuesday night.
Impressive victories over Doncaster Rovers and Notts County have made sure that Ben Dawson’s side head to Blundell Park needing just a point to make sure of their place in the last 32, as well as the Northern Group G’s winners’ spot.
Only a defeat, coupled with a win for Doncaster over County, can scupper United’s hopes of qualification, but defender O’Connor is adamant that the Magpies’ youngsters will be targeting nothing less than another three-point haul against Michael Jolley’s League Two outfit.
“We’re just looking at it as a normal game,” he told nufc.co.uk. “We’ll just look to go out there, play well and get the right result. It’s not a case of needing to win, but we want to win every game and keep our standards high.
“The last two games (against Doncaster and Notts County), we’ve played well, and handled it physically and tactically. Playing against men, everyone wants to prove their worth and hold their own, and I think we’ve done that so far. We’ve beaten two very decent Football League teams, and we just have to keep on doing the right things.”
Since a late defeat to Norwich City in mid-September, Dawson’s troops have lost just once in all competitions, plundering 20 goals in the process – an average of more than 2.8 per game.
A last-gasp Elias Sørensen leveller earned United a share of the spoils in their Premier League Cup encounter at Southampton on Friday night, and O’Connor – a virtual ever-present this term – feels that the Magpies are starting to build up a head of steam.
“The weather was terrible – it was windy, rainy – but in the first half, against the wind, we handled it well, and only went one goal down. In the second half, we kept plugging away and eventually we got the goal, thanks to Elias,” he said.
“The team’s playing well in general. Everyone’s playing with confidence, which is a bonus. We’re creating chances and we’re taking them. I think the team’s a lot more of a unit this year. Everyone’s working for each other, which is always good, and now the results are coming, everyone’s playing better individually as well. And if everyone plays better individually, we’re going to play better as a collective unit.
“Hopefully we can carry it on tomorrow, and in the league and the other cups, and keep doing what we know we can do.”
"We’ll just look to go out there, play well and get the right result. It’s not a case of needing to win, but we want to win every game and keep our standards high."