Head Coach Simon Grayson spoke to the media on Thursday afternoon ahead of his side’s trip down south to play Ipswich Town at Portman Road.
The Cods head into the game on the back of a narrow loss to Burton Albion earlier on this week and will be looking to get back to winning ways as they head to the home of the Tractor Boys, who have a familiar face in Wes Burns in their ranks.
Here’s what the Gaffer had to say in his pre-match interview:
On Ipswich Town…
“We will be respectful of the opposition, and I’m sure Paul Cook and his team will be respectful to us. They are a strong team, you only have to look at the squad they’ve got, even with the quality of some of the players who aren’t even in their 25 – it’s ridiculous the number of players they’ve got.
“They’ve had some good results recently, most notably their win over Portsmouth, which was a great result, but we will go there in good spirits knowing that we can play as good as anybody.
“We went to Rotherham and beat them 4-2, we went to MK Dons and drew 3-3, and drew 2-2 against Sunderland. They are all in the top six right now, with some even in the top two so we know we are capable of giving anybody a game."
On the squad’s attitude…
“We want to win every game, we beat Crewe 3-0 and played very well, whilst getting a clean sheet within our recent schedule and you can’t forget that we’ve had a tough start and have played against a lot of the top teams.
“When you talk about the top end of the pitch, we’ve scored as many goals as most this season, it was only the other night when our decision making wasn’t as good as it could have been. When we’ve been scoring four, three, or two goals a game and have even been coming from behind in some, it gives you great hope and belief.
“We have to just keep improving, we have a great bunch of lads in the squad who are brilliant to work with, and I don’t remember a time when I’ve even questioned their application, desire, and work rate after a game.
“It gives you good scope, and hope, for your players and I’m pretty sure this young group will keep improving day in, day out as the season goes on.”
On the balance of players in the team…
“It’s having the right balance in the squad. The young players play with that youthful exuberance as they haven’t ever shied away from anything we’ve asked them to do, and that is great for their development, but having some experience around will help guide and guide those younger players.
“That’s why it’s important that Anthony Pilkington has returned back to the team recently, with Joe Garner and Conor McLaughlin around the 18 whose influence can really help the players around them.
“Tom Clarke will also be back in the group soon so it’s all about getting the balance for what you need both on the training pitch leading by example, but also giving the guidance for the younger players on how to deal with certain situations that they may find themselves in, in a game scenario.
“Some are moving forward, and some are standing still in terms of the date they will be coming back and working with us, but some are getting closer to coming back. We’ve got to pick from who is available to go to Ipswich at the weekend, put a good performance in, and hopefully, get the win.”