Cooper’s men haven’t played since their 2-1 victory against West Midlands League Division Two pace-setters Team Dudley over two weeks ago.
The gaffer has told his men their victory against Dudley will count for nothing if they fail to beat Alma at the Showtime Stadium.
Cooper said: “I am looking forward to Saturday’s game against Alma. It has been very frustrating to be out of action for two weeks. Last week I was watching the club’s reserves.
“It will be great to get the lads back together again. They will all be raring to go on Saturday. It is important we get a result against Alma. We need to win every game between now and May, while the title is up for grabs.”
AFC Ludlow will be without Rob Vass and Dale Hodge for Saturday’s game.
But Cooper will be boosted by the return of midfield talisman Jake Pryce against Alma.
The gaffer revealed Gavin Podmore and Adrian Marsh are close to returning to action aswell.
He said: “We will have no Rob or Dale for Saturday’s match. They are both major losses for us. I will wait and see what numbers we have nearer the time. Adrian is nearly back to full fitness and Gavin is only on holiday. Apart from that Jake is back from his suspension. Jake is a key man for us in midfield. Marian Jusko is also back on Saturday. He is a quality player. We have some decent players at the club. You need people in the team fighting to keep their shirts.”
For Cooper it is vital that his men pick up a result against Alma.
He believes a defeat would undermine his players victory against Dudley.
Cooper said: “Anyone can beat anyone else in this league. You look at some teams results in the division, and you think they should be doing better.
“If we don’t get a result on Saturday, our result against Dudley will count for nothing. All our hard work would have been for nothing.
“They are all good players at AFC Ludlow, it is just getting them to believe that. All I can do is put a team out to win matches; if they don’t perform, there is nothing I can do.”
The spirit in the camp could not be higher ahead of the game, insists Cooper.
He said: “I could not really ask for a better bunch of lads. Everyone gets on with everybody – we all have a good laugh, and we know when enough is enough. There is a very good team spirit within the football club.”
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Article By: Lewis Deakin
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