Uwe Rosler has called on his side to be brave when they face table toppers Shrewsbury Town on Saturday afternoon.
Shrews are still unbeaten in the league, and are two points clear at the top after just surviving relegation from the division last term.
Town’s head coach is full of praise for the work his opposite number Paul Hurst has done, even at such an early stage of the season.
“They have the same momentum and ingredients that we had last year,” said Rosler.
“Fair play to their manager, he took a tough job on last season around the same time and transformed the club and the team to have a winning mentality.
“They now have no pressure because they already have so many points, and they are addressing a lot of games on the counter attack which suits them very well.
“They are very hard working, well drilled and we need to compete but we also need to understand the areas where we can attack them and be patient.
“We need to raise our levels and I think we need to be on our best in the way we understand how they play.
“We need to be brave in certain positions on the ball, because they allow you to have the ball, but we then need to use the ball well. It’s a challenge for us, but a nice challenge for us which will make our players better.”
Rosler’s side went on a stunning 18 match unbeaten streak in the league last season, and knows how difficult it can be producing such a run.
“The longer the run goes, the harder it will get,” added Rosler.
“When they are on a run like this they are gaining confidence and the day-to-day work gets much easier. Hopefully we will be the one to give them their first defeat.
“They had some very good pre-season results, and I discussed it with the coaching staff that there is something going on there. They brought that form right into the season.”
Speaking to iFollow prior to the game, the German also felt that Tuesday’s point at Scunthorpe United was well earned.
“Nothing has changed from what I said after the game,” stated Rosler.
“We started bright, then conceded a cheap goal which knocked us a little bin the next ten minutes. We got back in the game, had far more of the ball, had good chances, more possession than them and I think we played with more confidence than they did.
“In the end, you can’t argue that the draw is undeserved, and I think the way we played was positive and we can’t complain about the point in the end – especially when you see the time of the equaliser.”
A further positive from Tuesday night was that striker Conor McAleny continued his recovery from injury with a very encouraging 45 minutes.
“He is not on that level where he left us with the injury.
“When he came on against Scunthorpe we saw another level, where he caused them problems and we looked more of a threat with him in the team than in the first half. He came through the 45 minutes in a good way, so his fitness is solid – not top – but solid.”