Accrington Stanley defender Mark Hughes hopes that the club can keep the three match unbeaten run going as they head into a big week consisting of fixtures against Sunderland, Wycombe Wanderers and Blackpool.
During the last three games, Stanley have won two and drawn the other, and Hughes admits that getting that first win has altered the mood and mentality within the squad a considerable amount, but also that there’s still a lot of hard work to be done.
“Winning results breeds confidence and you can see everyday that the lads are starting to gain more confidence.
“The new players are starting to adapt to what we’re about and we’re not losing games now.
“It’s all about every player knowing what it takes to win a game of football.
“People think winning games is easy, it’s not because it’s 90 minutes of both sides doing everything to get the three points.”
Manager John Coleman brought in a further two defenders on transfer deadline day, and Hughes explained how he’s got to focus on his own game to ensure he’s giving the best he can for the team.
“We’ve got a lot of competition everywhere, and it’s up to me to keep playing and keep fit to ensure I’m still in the starting XI.
“I’m here to get the best out of myself, I’ve got to keep my standards as high as I can.”
The big week for the club begins with a home fixture against Jack Ross’ Sunderland side tomorrow afternoon, and the centre-back knows that it’s always tough against the bigger teams in the division.
“It’s going to be tough against one of the best teams in the league, but we know we can match anybody on our day.
“The manager is getting what he wants from the team, if anybody finishes above them then they’ll probably go up.”
Following the game with The Black Cats, attention will turn to an away trip against Wycombe and the visit of Blackpool to the Wham Stadium, and Hughes acknowledged that the next week is huge and a great deal of progression can be made.
“The next week is big for us, there’s nine points available, and if we can get six or seven then we’ll soon be moving up the league.
“If we can get a good number of points from this week then we’ll be in a good position.”