Ian Evatt wants a happy homecoming as the Whites head back to the Toughsheet Community Stadium for the first time this year, writes Pete Oliver.
Wanderers entertain Cambridge United on Saturday in their first home fixture since a 3-0 win over Lincoln City four days after Christmas.
Since then, Evatt’s men have had mixed fortunes on their travels to sit outside the play-off places. But another victory over Lincoln – this time in the Vertu Trophy – on Tuesday night made it two wins from four on the road and the Wanderers’ boss is seeking more of the same with league points at stake against the struggling U’s.
“We have to now build on another decent response from a poor performance last Saturday. On Tuesday we got the win and through to the next round and now we have to try and build some momentum at home in the league campaign,” said Evatt.
“It's the middle of January and we’ve not had a home fixture yet so we're looking forward to being back here. Our record here has been pretty good in my tenure so we’re looking forward to the game and hopefully we can build on what was a positive result and performance on Tuesday. We're ready for a difficult game but one we're hopeful we can get three points in.
“It feels like we're on a really poor run but we've won three out of the last five. But that's the standards we've set ourselves here and we have to get on with it. It's no good talking about what's happened and what might have been, it's about now and what we can control right now.
“We have to be positive and we have to move forward. There's still loads to play for this season and be focused on the next chance and the next opportunity, which is Saturday against Cambridge and if we can play well hopefully we can build some momentum from there."
Wanderers entertain Cambridge and then Charlton Athletic in the space of four days with the chance to move back towards League One's top six if they can make amends for last weekend’s loss at Rotherham.
That was a tough afternoon all round and Evatt is seeking a positive mood on and off the pitch to keep spirits high and get his players back towards their best with four games still to go before the end of the month.
“We're just trying to focus on the things we can control and trying to stay positive as a group. I think when this group is positive they're in a much better place to perform well and get results,” Evatt added.
“That's what everyone wants, to see us win and get results, so just encourage them and give them some belief and confidence in what we're trying to do. We want to make sure everyone's on the same page, in terms of what we want to do as our idea and identity, and go and back it and execute it as best we can. If we can, we know we’re a difficult team to stop.
“We’re just filling the players with belief, filling them with the trust of what we've built and what we've done, and hopefully we can go out there and play very well on Saturday.”
Wanderers will be boosted against Cambridge - who will be seeking to end a five-game losing streak - by the return to fitness of midfielder Josh Sheehan after nine matches out through injury, while defender Eoin Toal is potentially only a week away from a return.
And while the Whites will be without frontman Dion Charles following his sale to Huddersfield Town, Wanderers are striving to bring in striking reinforcements before the transfer window closes on 3rd February.
“It's now down to us at the football club, myself, the Board, Chris (Markham) to find a suitable replacement, maybe a different type which will give us some more flexibility, but someone that can come in and help this team progress and help this team win for the remainder of this season,” Evatt told Wanderers TV.
“There are lots of things happening behind the scenes to try and make that happen. We're working very hard to try and make this team and this football club better.”
Watch the manager’s full pre-match interview on Wanderers TV