Pre-Match Interview

Manager Steve Cotterill has been speaking to the media this week ahead of Maidenhead at home on Saturday afternoon.

Rovers fans will have fond memories of the reverse fixture at York Road – a convincing 4-1 win over the Magpies with goals from Harvey Bunker, Charlie McCann, Jordan Moore-Taylor and Teddy Jenks.

Saturday also represents the start of March with Rovers third prior to kick-off and only a dozen fixtures left in the season after Maidenhead’s visit this weekend.

“I think the lads have done really well, they’ve played under a lot of pressure all season,” said Cotterill.

“We came down with Sutton – the team that comes down is under stress right from the off.

“It’s been predominantly hard for teams who come down, especially in that first year. There was a lot of disruption not just last season, but the last couple of seasons.

“It doesn’t all get straightened out in five minutes. I think we’ve done really well to get it to where we have by this point within a short space of time.

“Three defeats in 33 games is some achievement. When you look at the games we’ve drawn, there’s 13 games that I think six we deserve to win. You can’t pick and choose it, that’s sport. You have to accept disappointment just like the joyful moments you get.”

The Gaffer – with nearly 30 years’ worth of elite managerial experience and nearing 950 matches in the dugout – has been crucial in creating a steely determination in the camp this season.

When asked whether he'd have taken third place at this stage, he said: “I maybe would’ve taken the three defeats!

"It’s my competitive nature – I think if you’d have asked me would I have taken second, I may not have because I want to win at everything I play and do. I’m ultra-competitive.”

“My first thing is to look after the club, and I think I do that on a day-to-say, week-to-week, month-to-month basis.

“I think the right culture is in the place now, there’s a fantastic group of lads – I say to them, ‘I don’t always like them, but I love them’. I don’t always like them because they may have forgotten to do something but I never ask anything that they can’t do."

The Forest Green boss also spoke about being more clinical.

“We perhaps just had that conversation on the pitch (Thursday) - about being more clinical and not being frightened to miss.

“I’ve been there where I’ve missed chances and at some point you can get a little angry and then throw caution to the wind, and you find sometimes it ends up being in the back of the net when you have that positivity, and aggressive and on the front foot.

“We’ve got enough players who have scored enough goals in and around the team, I think that’s something – if we can take our chances a little more then I’m sure it’ll make everything a lot easier I’m sure, we have to keep working on that, and we do."