Interim Head Coach Stephen Crainey spoke to the press ahead of his side’s trip to face Accrington Stanley in another Sky Bet League One clash on Saturday.
The Cods are travelling across Lancashire to the Wham Stadium this weekend as Stephen Crainey is set for his third game in the space of a week since taking interim charge of the squad last month. The squad have played valiantly in the two games previous, but they will be in search of all three points this time out.
Here’s what Stephen had to say ahead of the game:
On Saturday’s opposition…
“We want to go there and get a positive result. Accrington are a really good side in League One, we know it’s going to be a tough game, but we want to go there with confidence and will look to try and win the game.
“We know it will be a battle going there and we need to go and compete, first and foremost, and then hopefully our footballing ability can take over from there. I think it will be a tight encounter, but at the same time, I want us to come away with the three points.
“It’s easy having a structure going into a game, but that can get blown apart in just the first few minutes due to certain situations, so you just need to be really adaptable with the ideas you’ve worked on as you play. Hopefully, we are going to be ready for the game as we’ve prepared well.”
On the young group coming through…
“With me being the Under-23s coach, I know what those lads can do as we’ve got some good footballers in the group, and I think we’ve got a good blend of young players and experienced pros at the club. We just need to find that fine balance to get them working towards those three points, whether the game is on a Tuesday or a Saturday.
“The 23s group knows the philosophy I like to play with so it’s just about getting that into the pros as well. The way we play does change for each team we play as you aren’t going to play the same way against every opposition because you have to find certain things you can counteract.
“The players have been great since I’ve come in, with their application, and although we drew the game at Wimbledon, I thought we should have won the game. We also lost the game against Bolton, but I thought we could have won that as well so if they can maintain those standards, we’ll win more games than we will lose.
On Paddy Lane’s influence this season…
“When Paddy [Lane] came into the building, he trained with me and the Under-23s group and we could see that he had the ability from day one. I walked into the building after training and said we need to sign this lad as he’s got something about him, he’s a top kid with a great attitude and will, hopefully, do well for the club.
“He’s shown real game intelligence, is versatile and can play in a number of positions. Wherever he plays. You just know that are going to get some quality and we are just hoping he can maintain that going forward.
“I’m big on attitude and doing the right things on a daily basis and Paddy does that, as well as the rest of the group. They need to keep those high standards every single day and put it into everything that they do.”