Mumba's Forest Green Preview

Bali Mumba wants to use the disappoint of Tuesday’s 5-1 defeat away to Charlton Athletic as an incentive to put things right on Saturday, when Argyle head to Forest Green Rovers.

The defeat at The Valley, not aided by the sending off of James Wilson when The Pilgrims were 1-0 down, clearly hurt everyone involved with the club, but wing-back Mumba, signed on loan in the summer from Norwich City, is keen to rectify matters in Gloucestershire this weekend.

“It was a disappointing result on Tuesday night,” said Bali. “The team, we know we are better than that. That wasn’t up to our normal standards. It is important we focus for the next couple of days in training, get back to basics and pick it up again to get a good result on Saturday.

“It hurts. I’m still a bit down, it’s disappointing. It’s not how we wanted it to be after having such a good result last Saturday. That shows you how crazy football is; one moment you can be on top of the world and the next, back down low.

“There’s still faith. I’m still 100% confident that we will bounce back. I believe in the lads, and the talent we have in the dressing room. We’re more than capable of bouncing back and pushing forward again.

“There’s a lot to prove on Saturday. Hopefully we can do that and bring back some smiles on people’s faces.”

Argyle have sold out their allocation for the away end at Forest Green, and the backing of 1,160 of the Green Army at Charlton on Tuesday did not go unnoticed, with the travelling supporters backing their team despite the adverse result.

Bali – and the rest of the squad – clearly appreciate the backing, both in numbers and in spirit. In fact, on the whole, Mumba is clearly loving life as a Pilgrim, and looking at the bigger picture, is still confident the squad that has been assembled are capable of achieving big things this season.

“We’re all grateful for the fans’ support,” said Bali. “It was good to see, after the game on Tuesday. It hurt us; the fact that they have travelled and for us not to put in a good performance. The only thing we can do is apologise to them and put it right on Saturday. We’re looking to get back on track.

“I’m very happy [at Argyle]. It’s a great set of lads. The staff have been brilliant with me. The talent and the character in the dressing room, and the potential, is scary. From day one I’ve been really excited about what we can achieve this season, Hopefully, with the right mindset, concentration and focus, we can get there.”