'We've got to want it for ourselves' - Nightingale

Nightingale played nine seasons in the EFL before joining Ross County and then Aldershot Town

Aldershot Town defender Will Nightingale said its time the team started to perform "for themselves, as well as for the fans" as they try to stay in the National League.

The Shots are 20th in the table - outside the bottom four on goal difference - following just three wins from their opening 17 matches.

"To be honest, I got into football because I do it for myself, and people have to find that from within," Nightingale told BBC Radio Surrey.

"I don't want to be disrespectful to the fans because the fan base have been brilliant since I've been here, and stuck by us, but if you're not doing it for yourself and your team-mates out there, because that's who I'm doing it for.

"The fans have been great, but now its our turn to give them something to support, because we need to get better."

'We've got to learn everything we can off Coleman'

Aldershot appointed the experienced former Accrington Stanley boss John Coleman following Tommy Widdrington's decision to resign from his post last month.

Coleman has lost his opening two matches, away to National League South Weston-super-Mare in the FA Cup, and Boreham Wood in the league.

Nightingale, who made 175 league appearances for AFC Wimbledon in the Football League over nine years before an injury-hit spell at Ross County, joined the Shots this summer and is looking forward to working with his new boss.

"I've played against him a few times. He's obviously well-respected in the Football League. He's got a few promotions on his CV," he said.

"He's only just come in and had a week with us. He's managed a lot of games, seen a lot of football, so we've got to learn everything we can off him, and try and implement what he wants from us."

The 30-year-old Nightingale is only just back after missing 12 matches with injury.

"I've worked hard to get myself back, I want to be back in and around it, playing games," he said.

"I went from probably not having a big pre-season to playing a lot of minutes in a row, and to be fair I was starting to feel good, starting to get to a good place. It's just unfortunate what happened.

"I'm obviously over the moon to be back, but now I'm here, its all about doing one more thing, and helping the boys - and the club."

'We've got to forget everything and reset'

Aldershot's fixture list does not get any easier following their midweek defeat by second-placed Boreham Wood. This weekend they welcome Robbie Savage's promotion-chasers Forest Green Rovers, who were only narrowly beaten by League One Luton Town in the FA Cup.

But Nightingale said he will relish another tough test: "If you'd have asked me at the start of the season who I'd rather face - Forest Green or someone on paper who's not as strong, I'd take Forest Green all day long.

"That's the attitude you should have, and bring it on. I don't want to look back on my career and talk about teams I don't remember. They're a big club at this level, and they've started well, but we should embrace that.

"It's about moments in football matches. It's not always the better team that wins. We're more than good enough to win a game of football, so we'll just go into Saturday with that belief and that confidence."

The Shots have had to battle relegation in five of their previous six seasons, and Nightingale is confident they have enough to pull away from trouble.

"Anybody who watched our game away to Scunthorpe (a 2-1 defeat) will be able to say there's quality there, there's ability there, and there's a good team in there.

"The only thing in football, when you don't win your previous game, it automatically makes the next game harder.

"We've almost just got to forget everything that's happened, reset, and go a game at a time - starting with Saturday, thinking we're at home, we're good to get the three points, and that has got to be our attitude."