Head Coach Stephen Crainey spoke to the press ahead of his side’s Sky Bet League One clash against Burton Albion at the Pirelli Stadium on Saturday.
The Cods will be looking to bounce back from their loss to Sunderland at the Stadium of light in their last outing as they make their way to Staffordshire on the weekend in search of a vital three points.
Here’s what Stephen had to say in his pre-match interview:
On Saturday’s opposition…
“They are a good, solid side in League One and we know it’s going to be a tough game. They’re physical so we need to match that, and they’ve got good all-around quality and good individual players, much like ourselves. You need to be wary of that, but at the same time, be confident in what we can do attacking them and potentially hurting them at the other end at the same time.
“I’ve watched their last couple of games, and they’ve been in them, just they are a little bit like us in the fact that no decisions are going for them. That’s just football and I’m sure Jimmy [Floyd Hasselbaink] will have them fired up for when we get down to their place. We are under no illusions about how tough the game will be for us, but if we carry on playing the way we are, hopefully, it will be enough to get the points.
“I know it’s easy for me to say we are going to win games of football, but I do believe we are going to do that and it’s only a matter of time until our luck changes. We are hoping that it will change on Saturday, but we just need to make sure that we keep our levels and maintain our standards.”
On the injuries in the squad…
“I don’t think we’ve got anyone back [from injury] at the weekend, but injuries aren’t an excuse for this football club and me as an individual. There are three or four that we are going to leave until the last minute, but in terms of today, I can’t give you any news on that.
“These players are big for us so they will be given until Saturday morning to make a decision on them, hopefully, they can recover well and be available for selection. That’ll give me a bit of a headache in what I’m going to play so we will be preparing for a few scenarios.”
“We don’t use that as an excuse, we’ve got top quality players still fit at the club and I’ve got every confidence in that group of players that they can get the results needed. I’ve got no qualms about how the group is applying themselves so I think that luck will change and, as I say, we are hoping it will on Saturday.”
On getting no luck at the moment…
“I think we are doing alright, especially the other night at Sunderland; we were really disappointed not to get anything from the game, but we can’t be saying that after games of football. The plays there, the intensity is there, and the hunger is there, but we need to start turning these performances into victories.
“Our full focus is on Burton [Albion] on Saturday; it will be a tough game, but we are going there looking for the win, so we are really looking forward to the game. we’ve got a plan on how we can do that and hopefully, the players can execute that on the day.
“I don’t think we are getting any luck at all at the moment but that’s football. Sometimes it goes for you and when you aren’t getting it, you need to maintain your levels and you hope the luck will change in that sense as well.
“Ideally you want to play well in the games and get the three points, but if it's going to take a scrappy one-nil win, I’ll take that. You want the performance and the quality to be there at the same time and if we keep playing the way we are, things will change, I’m sure of it.”