INTERVIEW: JOSH COULSON
Reflecting on Cambridge United’s 3-1 win over York City on Saturday, Josh Coulson was delighted to have played his part in a U’s side that successfully achieved their aims of rebounding in Sky Bet League Two.
The defender said: “We were all pleased to accomplish what we set out to achieve on Saturday, which was a good response to last week’s defeat to Stevenage. As players we knew it wasn’t good enough and wanted to pay ourselves back as well as the fans, it was good to do that.
“We wanted to rock York early and thankfully that worked. We went 2-0 up early in the game and went to dominate the second half.
“An early goal always relieves the pressure, so it was good to get that in the bag. It was a great ball by Ryan [Haynes] and Jimmy finished it off well and that settled us into the game nicely.”
The 27-year old netted his first of the season to double United’s advantage midway through the first half and despite admitting it may not have been the most attractive goal the U’s have scored, added: “I don’t score many but I’ll certainly take them when they come.
“It weren’t the prettiest of goals, the first thing you think when the ball comes in is make a clean contact, I didn’t, but it still had enough power on it to go in.
“I was delighted to be able to celebrate in front of the fans, especially at that end of the Main Stand where my family sit.”
Shaun Derry’s men now move on to a mouth-watering encounter with Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Saturday, in a game that could see United move into the top seven. Coulson is eagerly awaiting the chance to run out for the U’s once more on the south coast, and feels a positive result might provide a significant step towards the club’s aims for the remainder of the campaign.
He said: “It’s a massive game and Portsmouth will obviously have a lot of fans at Fratton Park. It’s a great place to play and we have done well against the top sides in the League this season, so we’ll be looking to go down there and upset them by getting the result.
“We’ve been right on the brink of the play-offs a few times this season and haven’t quite got that win to carry us into the top seven. We’ll have that in the back of our minds and have a good week’s training before travelling down for the three points at the weekend.”
Portsmouth tickets are available by clicking here, or by calling 01223 566 500.