Respected Opponent

ARGYLE manager Ryan Lowe has the upmost respect for Forest Green Rovers boss Mark Cooper ahead of our Sky Bet League Two fixture at the New Lawn on Saturday.

Rovers are currently sat at the top of the Sky Bet League Two table and the position does not come as a surprise for Ryan, who is a great admirer of the playing style adopted by his weekend opponent.

Forest Green have settled superbly into the Football League after their promotion in 2017 and reached the play-offs in League Two last season.

“Mark Cooper has done a fantastic job, he’s just missed out the last couple of years, he’s a terrific bloke, a good guy, one of the good guys,” said Ryan.

“He plays the right way, hence why he’s been up there the last few seasons, so I’ve got nothing but the upmost respect for Coops.

“We have good conversations before and after the games, when I’m down there, he’s got a good set of players and it’s no coincidence that they’re at the top of the league. They’ve got some good players, they show consistent performances week in and week out.”

Forest Green have only conceded ten goals in 16 league games this season and their record at home shows they have conceded five goals and scored eight this season, which proves that it will be a difficult game on Saturday.

“They’ve only conceded ten goals, they haven’t scored a lot of goals, but they’ve only conceded ten, which is good in any league,” said Ryan. “If you’re only conceding ten in 16 games, then you know it is terrific.

“We know what Coops is about, we know the way he sets up, we know his style of play, he’s very honest in his work, along with us, so it’s no coincidence that he’s up there.

“You probably look at them because where they are in the league, that they’ve got the edge on us, but we’re certainly going there full of confidence and we’re certainly going there to win, but so is Mark Cooper too.”