We spoke to manager Paul Simpson ahead of tomorrow’s game against Charlton.
“The preparations are just the same and nothing has changed in terms of what we’re doing. We had the plan, regardless of what was going to happen last Saturday and the plan stays the same, we’re preparing to go to Charlton.
“We’re trying everything we possibly can to get short-term wins, to get some results, and still planning for the long-term. We’re trying to build the football club, trying to build the group, trying to make the group better and that’ll continue right through until the end of the season, we’ll continue to do that and hopefully we can get some positivity.
“Charlton are a good side, they’ve got good individuals, I know they lost a few in January and they’ve got a couple of injuries as well to key players.
“They were one of the fancied teams at the start of the season when Dean Holden was in there, I spoke to Dean last summer and they were having a real go, and they’ve had a go again in January, with the signing of Conor Coventry, so they’re a good squad.
“Nathan Jones has gone in, he’s a really experienced manager, he’s got a fantastic record at some of the clubs he’s worked at. He’s a really good coach and he’s got them going again, organised them and I think they’re six games unbeaten against some good sides as well.
“It’s going to be a tough game but it’s the next one for us, the next challenge and we’ve got to make sure that we just keep trying to improve as much as we can.
“It’s no different to any game, we’re going to have to defend properly and when we get the ball, we’re going to have to keep it, create opportunities and try to be able to finish them.
“We’re going into it with as positive of a mindset as we possibly can.
“We have to forget about the league table, it is what it is and we can’t change that. We’ve just got to do everything we can to get some wins.”
“I know I keep saying it, but we’ve got to get some respect back, it’s as simple as that. I keep saying it and I’m like a broken record and I get it, we’ve done everything to get the support and we’ve got to do everything to try and keep it.
“The result last weekend was disappointing, but everybody who was at the game could see that the players kept going and the attitude was right.
“I’ll admit, openly admit, that it wasn’t right in the home game against Cambridge, so we have to keep the attitude right, we’ve got to keep doing that, keep being professional about everything we do and that's exactly the message I’ve been giving to the players this week.”
With 800 tickets sold and more available on the day, the manager commented on the fantastic support the fans continue to show: “The supporters have been magnificent from the first day I came back into the club. That's what I asked for when I first came back in.
“It’s about respect and pride, those are the two main things. Because what's been going on this season hasn't been good enough. We all accept that. But we've got to get some respect. We've got to play for pride. And we've got to make sure that we, on the football side, try to remain as positive as we can to make sure that that goes with all the positivity that's going around with the other things inside the football club.”
