Johnnie Jackson’s side are aiming to deliver a performance that rewards our fantastic home support, when we resume our push for a play-off place at home to Milton Keynes Dons tomorrow.
“First and foremost, we need to have that belief, that energy and that real zip about us,” said Johnnie after Friday’s training session, which took place at the Cherry Red Records Stadium. “It’s going to be bouncing out there. It’s a massive game for the supporters and we recognise that.
“We need to mirror that on the pitch. When that whistle goes, the boys have got to show that we know what it means to us.
“The focus is on performance. I think if we get that right, the rest will follow. We need to be ready from the off tomorrow.”
You can see the full interview with Johnnie after training below.
Johnnie knows how our support can be a key factor at Plough Lane: “We'll have a partisan crowd. I don’t need to tell them, they do it every time we’re here and they do it when we’re on the road.
“We realise there’s an extra edge to this one. What we do know is that our supporters are going to show up and make us proud, so it’s important that we do that as a team tomorrow and the boys need to know that.”
There was a buoyant mood about the group at training, with centre-backs Joe Lewis (knee) and Ryan Johnson (ankle) out of their protective wear and doing some light ball work at the side of the pitch.
“They’re building up their rehab now on the grass, doing their first bits of running,” said Johnnie. “They’re progressing really nicely. I spoke to our physio Bobby Bacic and he’s really pleased with their progress.
“They are getting closer. They’re big players for us and have been big losses. Hopefully, we’ll have them back before too long.
“Everyone came out of last weekend unscathed, but it might come too soon for Kofi Balmer‘s return.
“He’s not been out too long, but he was feeling his hamstring. He hasn’t trained with the group yet, he’s just done some work on his own with our Head of Sports Science Chris McConnell. Kofi came through that well, so he’ll be back in our thoughts soon."
Johnnie is pleased with the squad’s response in training after last Saturday’s result at Doncaster, although he has hinted at changes.
“I’ve loved what I’ve seen this week,” said Johnnie. “We all got on that coach disappointed last week, knowing that we’ve got this big game and a week to prepare for it.
“Training has been really good. It’s been really intense. Everyone wants to play in this game, so there’s going to be some disappointment amongst the group. Because of that though, it really drove standards and there’s an extra edge about us as they know how important it is.”
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Photos: Pro Sports Images.
