Bristol Rovers striker Jo Kuffour has welcomed the challenge of trying to cement a place in new manager Dave Penney’s long-term plans.
Kuffour came off the bench to score in Penney’s first match in charge -the 2-2 draw, against Walsall on Tuesday night, after being omitted from the starting line-up in the previous two games under caretaker boss Darren Patterson.
“I met the new manager on Tuesday morning,” said Kuffour. “He seems to be a nice bloke and I like his ideas on the game. He wants to play with a high tempo and that suits me.
“He’s told the players exactly what he wants from us and it’s a clean slate for everybody now. We’re always playing for our places in the team but even more so when a new manager comes in. You want to prove yourself and all you can do is keep working hard and see what happens.”
Kuffour’s goal was his first since smashing a hat-trick against Wycombe at the start of November and helped him land the man-of-the-match accolade as Rovers laboured to a 2-2 draw against another side struggling against relegation.
“It can be difficult when you don’t score for a while, said Kuffour. “I try not to let it affect me because I know I can score goals. You just have to keep thinking that it will only be a matter of time. If you keep plugging away you’ll get your rewards.
“I am always disappointed to be left out. I have been having a bit of a hard time in front of goal lately but I know that I always come back stronger. You just have to accept the decisions made by other people and get on with it.
“Maybe it has been good for me. Sometimes you need to step out, have a look and assess the situation. I think it done me a favour. It is great to score a goal at any time but particularly in the new manager’s first game.”
Penney, however, has already confirmed that he is set to draft in a new striker to bolster Rovers’ firepower and Kuffour added: “You always welcome competition for places. Sometimes a few new faces freshens things up. As a player, it is the sort of thing you should thrive on.”
Rovers return to action with a long trip to Carlisle on Saturday. They remain rooted in the bottom four of League One following Tuesday night’s draw. “We need to win games against teams around us, like Walsall, if we are to get out of trouble,” admitted Kuffour.
“We can take some positives from our second-half showing. We need to start games a bit quicker and then put teams to bed. I definitely think we have enough to get ourselves out of the current situation we find ourselves in.”