Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Horseman: We need to start picking up points
DAVID Horseman has urged his Forest Green Rovers side to kickstart their campaign against Colchester United today.
The Green Devils have dropped to the foot of the Sky Bet League Two table following six straight defeats – and they have not yet taken so much as a point at home this season.
Colchester, however, are only three points better off than Forest Green, although they did recently beat table-topping Notts County 5-4.
Asked whether three points was critical against a fellow struggler, Horseman said: “It is important now that we start to pick up points, full stop. We know there are some good teams, we go to Mansfield next week, but it is not about the opposition.
“Having said that, if you beat (Colchester) then you go right up behind them, you close the gap and then you are only a little run away from leaping a few places up the table. You do not want these teams getting further and further away.”
Good news has been in short supply of late for Horseman, but his side did improve morale with a 1-1 EFL Trophy draw at Walsall in midweek – followed by victory in the resultant penalty shoot-out.
The head coach added: “It has definitely improved the group and just reminded ourselves that we are a good team and have got good players and also the togetherness of all of the squad and the players.
“It was a nice feeling when we came in on Wednesday to train. We do not think we have cracked it by any stretch, but it was just nice to remind ourselves that we are a decent team and we are going to start to kick on soon.”
However, the hard fact is that Forest Green are bottom of the whole English Football League.
Horseman added: “Some of the performances I believe should have yielded a few more points, but I am not going to morph into every other manager that is scared of losing.”
Swindon Town boss Mike Flynn has urged his players to rediscover their goalscoring touch in order to end his first sticky patch as manager of the Wiltshire outfit.
Having started the League Two season without defeat in nine matches, Swindon have lost their last two, and were also thrashed away to Reading in the EFL Trophy.
Swindon host Flynn’s former club Newport County this afternoon.
Flynn said: “I was born there, had a lot of good times, and there are a lot of people that I think of highly.
“We need to take our chances. We were not great against Bradford, but we still made four chances that normally would be goals.”