Rob Edwards has issued a rallying call to his Forest Green Rovers side as his League Two leaders gear up to face new Bradford City manager Mark Hughes.
Rovers are currently winless in five games and have seen their lead at the top of the League Two table slip to eight points, albeit with a game in hand on second place Northampton Town.
However, Edwards was still upbeat in his latest press conference and was positive the results will pick up again following good performances.
“Of course results at this stage of the season are vital, we know that, but I would be concerned if we weren’t getting the results and playing badly. That’s not the case,” said Edwards.
“It’s about continuing to work hard. We’ve challenged the boys today, let’s get into the 70s (point mark), and Saturday is the first chance to do that.
“We’ve had a good week and I’m expecting a good performance. Let’s hope for a win.”
Edwards comes up against Mark Hughes, the man who gave him his international debut, in the dugout for the first time. The former Wales manager was appointed as Bradford boss last month and coached his opposite number on Saturday during his time with the Dragons.
On his relationship with Hughes, the former England U16 coach reflected: “He’s an inspiration because of what he has achieved, especially back then. I’m really thankful to him; he gave me my debut.
“Unfortunately I got injured after my first game and didn’t get as many caps as I would’ve liked under him, but I’ll forever be thankful for that opportunity he gave me.”
There was surprise that Hughes, whose CV includes managing Manchester City, Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City in the Premier League, was willing to drop down the divisions, as he takes on a role in League Two for the first time in his career.
Edwards was adamant that the Bantams have got the right man, stating: “Bradford are a huge club. Really in a way they’re not a League Two side, they are a big club with a huge following, which is what Mark is used to his whole life.
“I’m not going to judge what he is doing and where he’s at. It’s good to see him in work, it’s where he should be because he’s really good at what he does.
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“You can already see the influence that Mark’s having on the team in his two games where they had more of the ball than they would have previously, a little more expansive and playing some good football.
“It will be nice to see him on the weekend.”
Edwards revealed Jordan Moore-Taylor trained on Thursday and would assess whether he could feature, while Dom Bernard is unavailable after rolling his shin against Salford last week.