Johnnie Jackson has reinforced the importance of ending this week on a high with relegation-threatened Rochdale up next.
“The challenge for us now is to back it up at our place again, we want to go for back-to-back wins,” said Johnnie. “We put in a really good performance on Tuesday night against Walsall and we want to do it again.
“Where Rochdale find themselves, they’re going to be battling for everything. That’s the nature of it when teams find themselves in those predicaments. It’s going to be a tough one and we’ll have to be on it, but if we can approach it like we did in midweek we’ll give ourselves a really good opportunity, whoever we’re up against.
“Our supporters played a role in the win over Walsall. I always say it’s give and take. The boys have to give the crowd something to shout about. We did that from the start, when we were on the front foot. We had an energy about us and were really bright in those opening moments.”
“It gets the crowd up for it as they’re excited by what they see. They get behind the boys and they rally. Towards the end of the game, when we’re defending a lead is where they come into it. They got us over the line the other night and it was really nice to celebrate that with them at the end.
“We want to give them more of those experiences between now and the end of the season. The support we get up and down the country and back at Plough Lane is fantastic with how they get behind the team.”
Johnnie’s attempts to beat the basement club have been boosted, by players returning to bolster the numbers who are available for selection.
“Chris Gunter is back with the group,” said Johnnie. “It was a good experience for him to go away with Wales. He’s trained with us, is available and it’s good to have him back.”
“Lee Brown and Diallang Jaiyesimi have both come through training this week, so we’ll look to integrate them as soon as possible all being well. It’s nice to get a few bodies back now and you can see the difference that it makes.
“We were able to bring Ali Al-Hamadi on against Walsall. To make changes that are going to impact the game in a positive way is something we haven’t had the luxury of being able to do recently. It’s fantastic that we’re starting to get players back, as it gives us a platform to have a strong finish to the season.
“Nik Tzanev and Harry Pell are progressing well with their rehab work, but they are at different stages. Nathan Broome was excellent against Walsall, got the clean sheet and I’ve got two good goalkeepers who will battle it out when Tans is fit again.”
Photos: Ian Stephen (Pro Sports Images).
You can see the full, pre-match preview with Johnnie Jackson ahead of Rochdale below, via the link to our official YouTube channel.