Head coach Scott Brown sat down with the local media on Thursday afternoon and previewed his side’s trip to face Morecambe at the Mazuma Stadium on Saturday in a Lancashire derby.
The Cods have been in good form over the last seven days as they’ve managed to pick up two wins in a row against Plymouth Argyle and Wigan Athletic respectively. Now, all eyes are focused on the derby clash coming up at the weekend, with Brown and the squad looking to make it three from three.
Here’s what the gaffer said in his pre-match interview:
On Saturday's opposition…
“It’s going to be a tough match; they got a great result in midweek against Stoke but we’ve played against Stoke so we know what a quality side they are - we are looking forward to the occasion. Morecambe are a side who have swapped and changed formations, but for me, it’s all about us and how we prepare, how we turn up on the day, and how we prepare ahead of the game.
“Cole [Stockton]’s a great player and it’s going to be tough to play against him at the weekend. We’ve watched a lot of him, especially in the last week as well building up to this game so, for us, it’s about us going forward and concentrating on ourselves. He scored almost half of their goals last season so, as I say, he’s a fantastic player.
“It’s a given that you work as hard as you can, especially in a derby match for 90 minutes. If we do that, hopefully, it all pays off with what we’ve done in training and how the lads have worked. I know Derek Adams. He had a wonderful career and is doing a great job at Morecambe but for me, it’s all about us and how we prepare.”
On the players implementing his ideas…
“In any football club, it’s hard to get that bond. Croatia helped as the lads have gone away, they’ve been stuck in rooms with each other and then completed double sessions working hard and then coming together for dinner and eating together as much as they can and its huge pre-season as it gives you that bond and that understand and also have each other’s back.
“We want to win football matches and that never say die attitude was on show in the Plymouth game. It went to the 98th minute to try and defend and I must say the lads put their bodies on the line and for me, that’s unbelievable because we’ve come in and the players have dived into what we expect from them and for us, they’ve taken it on board and gave everything they could do to get the three points.
“We’ve got a great team and a brilliant bunch of lads who want to continue this winning form. That winning mentality is huge at this club and the lads have bought into how we want to play and how we want to turn up to games and make sure we’re ready to operate. We need to worry about ourselves and not everyone else around us, it’s about how we are going to get ready for the game and sticking to the style we want to play in.”
On Ellis Harrison’s recent departure…
“Ellis [Harrison] was fantastic for us; he’s been a fantastic guy around the place and did well since arriving here from Portsmouth. You can’t say a bad word about Ellis as he’s a bubbly kind of character, was good in the dressing room, and it worked best for both parties, and we wish him all the best.
“We’ve brought Promise [Omochere] in and will have a look to see who is about as well but, for us as it stands, we’re going into the game at the weekend and concentrating on how we are going to play and how to get ready for it rather than worry about players that we may possibly bring in.”