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Club News

Hughes: I love night games!

2 October 2018

Club News

Hughes: I love night games!

2 October 2018

Mark Hughes is hoping Stanley's ‘well-oiled' machine keeps performing as they take on high-flying Doncaster Rovers tonight under the new floodlights.

The Reds have chalked up back-to-back wins and it's the first night game at the Wham Stadium this season, with the new stand now opened.

“Back-to-back wins is tough in any league but it does give us confidence,” said the defender.

“We know Doncaster will be tough, they are up there, they are scoring goals and we will have to be at our best.

“Jimmy (Bell) calls us a well-oiled machine, it's not just the back four, it's the people in front of us, they go and we just know where to go as a team. It hasn't happened overnight, its been hard work on the training ground and it's paying off.

“We know we have a good team. On Saturday there was about ten people who couldn't get in the squad, all good players. There are quality players not even getting on the bench so we know we have to be at our best.”

Stanley clinched promotion to League One against Yeovil in a night game and Hughes says he thrives off them.

"I like the midweek games under the lights, I enjoy them. Midweek at home always reminds me of the Yeovil game and if we can emulate that it will be ok.

“Tonight will be two confident teams, it should be a good football match, they are scoring goals, Mallik Wilks, our former player, is there, and John Marquis is scoring goals as he always does.

“But we have played Doncaster before and we have a lot of belief.

“I said at the start of the season, this league might suit the way we play better and you can see in spells that it does – but we need to sustain the spells for longer periods of time.

“There is belief, a lot of the lads have not played and this level and they will only get better.”

Stanley are hoping to move up from eighth place – they are four points behind third placed Doncaster.

“Our expectations are high, we aren't here just to make up the numbers," added Hughes.

“Our manager probably wants us to win this league and then the Championship next year, that's the way he is!

“But we have played all these teams in the past, we can hold our own, we have a lot of good players here who can play in this league and even higher.

“It's a good club to be at, it's on the up and we have got lads playing well which bodes well for the future.”


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