Phil Brown said his players will be fully prepared for Notts County on Saturday and wants them to improve with and without the ball as they go in search of their first win in October.
Town have struggled in front of goal this month and will be hoping to end their drought against a team struggling in the league.
Brown and the team have already faced a Harry Kewell side this season, when he was at Crawley before heading to Meadow Lane at the end of August, and Brown has said his team will be completely aware of what they’ll be up against.
“Anybody who has witnessed a Harry Kewell team, you would say that the DNA is a passing football team. There’s organisation in his side, there’s pace – he likes quality players in his side. He wants to play open, expansive football.
“The players will be well-versed in what they’re going to face on Saturday – we’ll be very good without the ball, and I want them to be very good with the ball.”
Brown gave an update on injury news in his pre-match conference too.
“We’re just awaiting news on Michael Doughty first and foremost; obviously having limped out of the game ten minutes into it. He had a nasty gash, or laceration on his ankle to which needed stitches and I swelled up a little bit.
“It’d be a pain barrier and the fact that it’s right foot rather than his left foot which, for me when I was playing, would have been OK because it was my standing foot and I didn’t need it, but being a midfielder it’s different. At the moment, you’re looking at a 50/50 situation.”
With results no going his way, Brown has questioned several aspects of the team and wants to see improvement on Saturday.
“A lot of things have been looked at questioned – you look at the two goals we conceded on Tuesday; one is a mistake, the other was an offside goal. I was witnessing enough attacks, ability and opportunities to get something from the game.
“The gameplan won’t change on Saturday apart from a reminder – let’s not concede silly goals, but we still need to produce and, hopefully, that first goal when it does go in will lift the pressure that the players are playing under.
“You can only ask the players about feeling that pressure – we’ve got a great group of characters who are very supportive of me, the backroom staff, the job in hand but more importantly of themselves. They’ll get my support, the same way they’re providing support to me.”
