Forest Green Rovers manager Steve Cotterill is aware of the threats Braintree Town possess and believes their league position is not a true reflection of their qualities.
The visitors to The New Lawn this weekend currently sit 20th in the table and last season were promoted from the National League South via the playoffs.
“Dangerous. Dangerous,” Cotterill said when asked about the opposition.
“They have lots of good qualities. Plenty of flexibility in their line-up. So probably even when their line-up comes in on Saturday, we might not quite know how that’s going to look until kick-off.”
Cotterill then stressed the importance that his side don’t take The Irons lightly despite their lower league position.
“No one should be taking any notice of the league table or anything like that because that is very, very dangerous. That’s what I’ve said to the players this week. Don’t take any notice of the league table.
“Not just of where we are, but obviously because of where they are. So every game is a tough game. I don’t know at any level an easy game.”
Preparing for Braintree.👊#WeAreFGR💚 pic.twitter.com/b30P3CHXSq
— Forest Green Rovers (@FGRFC_Official) October 18, 2024
Despite Rovers being sat second in the table, Cotterill knows there is still more to come from his side.
“There will always be something (to improve). There will always be something because I’m a perfectionist. By the way, just for clarity, I’m not perfect. Perfectionist is different. So I will be a perfectionist with everything we do, every detail.
“I will want everything to be perfect. And we all know that life is not like that. And it gets even more complex when you’ve got 11 boys for it to be all perfect.”
Charlie McCann has made an impressive start to the campaign, scoring five goals and grabbing two assists so far this season in the league.
Cotterill highlighted how midfielder Adam May has enabled McCann’s increase in goal contributions.
Charlie McCann at NL level is a chest code 😭
— Samuel Collyer (@SamuelCol1115) October 6, 2024
Forest Green almost on cruise control at this point, looking very comfortable
Marquee signing Cardwell off the mark too which is big
Could FGR finally break the relegated side curse?? https://t.co/sbbDyFEZdI
“I think Adam May has been really, really good for us. Really important to what we want to do and how we want to do it.
“Having Adam allows him (McCann) to go forward a little bit more and I think it’s not just Charlie. It’s probably the players around him a little bit as well that have helped.”
There is also a possibility that defenders Sean Long and Jordan Moore-Taylor return to the Rovers squad.
Long has been out with a muscle injury since coming off in the win at Gateshead on the 21st of September and Moore-Taylor has been missing since his injury away at Eastleigh.
“Jordan Moore-Taylor and Sean Long are progressing well. Teddy (Jenks) is just a little bit behind them. They (Moore-Taylor and Long) have a chance.”
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