Bristol Rovers striker Jo Kuffour has welcomed the challenge of trying to cement a place in new manager Dave Penney\u2019s long-term plans.
\nKuffour came off the bench to score in Penney\u2019s 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.
\n\u201cI met the new manager on Tuesday morning,\u201d said Kuffour. \u201cHe 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.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s told the players exactly what he wants from us and it\u2019s a clean slate for everybody now. We\u2019re 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.\u201d
\nKuffour\u2019s 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.
\n\u201cIt can be difficult when you don\u2019t score for a while, said Kuffour. \u201cI 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\u2019ll get your rewards.
\n\u201cI 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.
\n\u201cMaybe 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\u2019s first game.\u201d
\nPenney, however, has already confirmed that he is set to draft in a new striker to bolster Rovers\u2019 firepower and Kuffour added: \u201cYou 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.\u201d
\nRovers return to action with a long trip to Carlisle on Saturday. They remain rooted in the bottom four of League One following Tuesday night\u2019s draw. \u201cWe need to win games against teams around us, like Walsall, if we are to get out of trouble,\u201d admitted Kuffour.
\n\u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Bristol Rovers striker Jo Kuffour has welcomed the challenge of trying to cement a place in new manager Dave Penney\u2019s long-term plans. Kuffour came off the bench to score in Penney\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-273713","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n