Ahead of Saturday's home fixture against Aldershot Town, we caught up with Mark Hughes to get his thoughts on preparations, recent performances, and the support from the stands.
Reflecting on last weekend's strong home performance, Hughes said: "We were excellent on the day. Really pleased with what we produced – some great goals, a strong performance overall. So all in all, really satisfying, especially on the back of a good away result as well. We're in a good place at the moment."
With no midweek fixture, the squad enjoyed a rare chance to rest and reset – something the Head Coach was keen to make the most of: "We’ve used the week to our benefit. It's important when you’re in good form to maintain that continuity and intensity in training. We’ve managed to do that this week – there’s been a consistent level in the work we’ve done and one more day to go before we finalise things."
Asked if the free week brought a different feel to the training ground, he explained: "It gives you the chance to shape things differently – you’re not travelling long distances or coming off a short turnaround. You can focus on longer sessions and go into more detail with the players. That’s what we’ve done – today especially we touched on a lot of things we want to see in the game."
A behind-closed-doors bounce game on Tuesday helped keep match sharpness high, and Hughes was pleased with what he saw: "The lads did really well. The senior players approached it properly – sometimes they’re not always delighted to be asked to play in those, but Tuesday was the opposite. They set the tone, helped the younger lads, and everyone benefited from it. We’ll reap the rewards further down the line."
Looking ahead to Saturday's clash, Hughes is under no illusions about the attacking threat Aldershot pose: "They’ve got a lot of goals in them. Their attacking threat is clear, but they’ve conceded a fair few too – so that probably means a 0-0 draw now, doesn’t it? Hopefully not! It’ll be a good test, they’ve got goals all over the pitch, so we’ll need to be switched on."
Despite Aldershot's unpredictability in attack, Hughes made clear that preparation remains consistent: "We always make our players aware of the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses – but the main focus is on us. If we do what we’re good at and do it well, we believe we’re hard to stop."
With goals coming from a number of different players in the Aldershot squad, Hughes sees that as a potential challenge: "It makes them harder to predict – it’s a good trait to have, threats from all over. We’ll have to be vigilant, no doubt about that. It’s not going to be an easy game."
Turning back to his own team’s form, especially at home, Hughes was full of praise for the way his side has grown into the campaign: "Our home form’s been excellent – really strong since I came in. There’s a real step to our work now, a confidence, and I think the players are really enjoying playing here. Earlier in the season, teams came here fresh, trying to make a mark, and we were still finding our feet. But we’re through that phase now."
He continued: "Teams know they’ll have to work hard to keep up with us – our fitness and tempo levels are really high. That’s credit to the players and the work they’re putting in."
On the role the fans can play, particularly with strong attendances at home and huge numbers travelling away, Hughes was quick to recognise their influence: "The support’s been fantastic – home and away. You can feel the energy in the ground right now. Everyone’s enjoying the performances and the goals, and the players are feeding off that. If we keep producing like this, we want to give them even more to cheer about."
With back-to-back away fixtures coming up after Saturday – including a sold-out trip to Altrincham and a near sell-out at York City – Hughes acknowledged the scale of the support once more: "It’s unbelievable, really. The numbers we take away from home are incredible. It’s a huge lift for the players. But there’s expectation there too, and rightly so – we’ve got to make sure we match that and keep delivering."
