Forest Green look to rediscover winning touch

FOREST Green Rovers begin the post-Mark Cooper this lunchtine (12.30pm) by welcoming Scunthorpe to the Innocent New Lawn, writes Laurie Martin.

In charge of the side following Cooper’s sacking last weekend following the 2-1 defeat at Walsall is under-18s manager Jimmy Ball - son of England World Cup winner the late Alan Ball.

Speaking about the management situation at the club, ahead of today’s League Two game, Ball jnr said: “I have the upmost respect for Mark Cooper. I thought he was a brave manager. I enjoyed his thoughts on football and playing style.

“We all know the industry and this happens to all of us. There was also my delight for (achieving) something that I’ve been working at for a long time. I feel like I’ve taken my time, done my apprenticeship, I’m ready.”

Asked what he and director of football Richard Hughes had said to the players this week, the interim head coach replied: “I told them that they’ve got an unbelievable opportunity. It’s not a regular occurrence to be involved in a promotion push and to get promoted. It’s not a normal thing. People can go through their careers and not have that experience. I said that they have to enjoy it and that they’ve got to go and search for this kind of pressure, because these are the games you want to play in.”

He added: “The other thing I said was that every team who has ever won anything has had a wobble, where they could have made an excuse. I told them that if they do that then they’ll regret it for their whole careers and that it’s only the champions, who in adversity, don’t take the excuse. They’ve been great and they’ve been enthusiastic. It’s turmoil for them, but at the end of the day they’re footballers and they have to be professional, and they have been thoroughly professional.

Asked what he hoped to bring to the role, he said: “As far as football is concerned, they’re the best footballing team in the league, so for me that’s easy because I want to play football as well.

“It’s just about encouraging them, making them effective in every game that we play and that will be in multiple ways. It’s horses for courses.

“You don’t run your sprinters over the hurdles. You get the team ready to play every game, possibly in a different way, but as long as you do your homework then you should have no regrets. They’ve just got to perform, which they have done all season. You can’t dwell on the last six games.”

Looking at today’s opponents, Scunthorpe, Ball said: “Every team is a threat and has a threat. They’ve got some good players, the young boy (John) McAtee is a talent.

“We have to treat them like they’re top of the league because anybody can turn anybody over in this league.”

With Jamille Matt and Dan Sweeney injured, Ball added: “We’ve got an issue with Ebou (Adams) who is a doubt, which is a big loss because he’s a character and a presence. That’s a bit of a disappointment to us but it gives somebody else an opportunity to stake a claim.”

Pressed on his long-term ambitions in the job, Ball responded: “I think that the performances the team put in over the next six games will dictate that. It’s not going to enter my mind, it’s about the here and now.”