Neal Ardley said that he's working hard with his squad to rediscover the encouraging form that started this season with so much promise.
In an interview for iFollow ahead of the trip to Plymouth, Neal spoke enthusiastically about getting the best out of a squad that he revamped during the summer.
"Everything that happens around this training ground has to come from me and if I let results get to me and grind me down, start putting more pressure on myself, that will rub off on the players. I have to try to get us more upbeat about what we've got here, and try to rub it off on the players. I want them to come to work and be demanding of each other, to work their socks off for each other, but I also want them to have smiles on their faces. I want them to enjoy playing for me and for the club. Results have probably made that harder lately and we need to try and get that spark back."
Click on the link above to watch the full interview with Neal on our iFollow channel.
Neal added that the coaching staff and players have to maintain belief that results will improve in the near future.
"If I'm honest, I think we've lost a bit of the swagger that we had earlier in the season when we were all quite excited," said Neal. "I think there are only so many times when you can play well and not pick-up results, before you get beaten by the stick and things change. Your mentality changes a bit and you probably apply pressure on yourself to get a result.
"Certainly, in our promotion season we simply cut out the errors that we had made at the start of the season and we went on a run. We just have to get the balance right, get the confidence back in the group, believe in what made us good at the start of the season when we were playing so well. I am not saying it can happen in two days before Plymouth, but it's certainly something we need to apply over the next few weeks."