David Horseman: Forest Green need to put a 'stop to nerves' says head coach

David Horseman has overseen two wins out of seven league games in his tenure at Forest Green

Forest Green have got to stop letting "anxiety or nerves" affect their performances says head coach David Horseman.

The League Two side were heavily beaten 4-1 at home to Crewe last weekend despite initially taking the lead.

They have won two of their seven opening games this season following relegation from League One.

Horseman was appointed over the summer after the departure of Duncan Ferguson at the start of July.

"There's been quite a straight debrief in a few individual meetings and a few spoke up about standards - not particularly around the training ground - but on a matchday and what it takes to become a winning team more regularly," Horseman told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

"They're a great group of people, I've got no complaints, but there's just that little bit to us where the anxiety or the nerves are getting to us.

"If we want to be the team we think we can be that's got to stop pretty quickly."

Due to injuries limiting Horseman's squad selection and the heat during last weekend's game, the head coach was also forced to change the team's shape in the second half with people playing out of their usual position.

"We've got to try and get as many leaders on the pitch as possible because they help carry you through," Horseman said.

"When you're on the pitch, the feeling in the game and the experience, they're the key ones - the people who have been there, done it, know how to manage say the first five minutes of the second half."

Callum Jones, Jordan Moore-Taylor, Marcel Lavinier and Jacob Maddox are among those who have been unavailable for Forest Green due to injury, while Reece Brown has only just returned after seven weeks out.

Sean Robertson has also missed the last three games following his red card in the loss to Newport.

"I made no secret when I come in, it's going to be an up and down ride until we get as many back as we can, as many up to speed as possible and we have time on the training ground," Horseman added.

"I was under no illusions that's what it was going to be, I didn't know we'd have as many injuries as what we have but now we're getting a few back the competition in training is becoming better.

"I think we'll get that mental - it's not toughness because they've bounced back from a couple of difficult results already - it's more the experience to see a game out or get over a tricky five minutes. There seems to be a bit of a block at the moment."