"Morecambe have players that know what it takes to win," Cooper

Ahead of tomorrow night’s third-versus-fourth clash with
Morecambe, Mark Cooper insists it’s no surprise that the Shrimps are occupying such
a lofty spot in the League Two standings.

Under the guidance of Derek Adams, Morecambe, who haven’t
finished higher than 18th since 2015, have been one of the divisions
most consistent sides, rarely slipping out of the top seven.

“Morecambe have done fantastically well,” said Cooper.

“If you look at their squad, they’ve got some real stand-up
pros who know what it’s about.

“The back four from Saturday are all powerful units and they’ve
got quality at the top of the pitch in Carlos Mendes-Gomes, Cole Stockton and John
O’Sullivan. They have experience in midfield with Toumani Diagouraga and Yan
Songo’o too.

“People are talking about Morecambe like it’s a shock, but
it’s not. They have a manager that has been promoted form this level and they
have players in that squad that know what it takes to win.”

Rovers know they’ll have their work cut out, but a 2-1 away
win at the Mazuma Stadium back in October proves they have what it takes.

“We have to stop the ball getting to Mendes-Gomes, and block
the passing lines to O’Sullivan,” explained the Head Coach.

“It’s the basics stuff we have to nail down. We have run
harder, faster and further than the opposition to get anything.

“If you watch the Premier League, and take the ball out of
it, just watch how the players run, where they run and how often they do it.
That’s why those players play at that level.”

Though mounting injury woes are causing some concern for
Forest Green, the boss is confident that there is plenty of ability and fight
throughout his squad.

“We have some brilliant professionals and a good squad, but
if you look at the injury list it’s going to hurt you,” he explained.

“At the moment we’re going into fights with one arm tied
behind our back. We have some big, important players on the sidelines so we’re
trying to get some points on the board however we can.

“Usually, good results follow good performances, so it’s
impossible to consistently not play well and get positive results.

“The focus is on trying to be a good, solid unit, with some
good players in the team.”