Bristol Rovers have yet to lose a home game since Mark McGhee arrived at the club – and Lee Brown insists it is vital they extend that record to their final outing at the Memorial Stadium this season.
The Pirates take on Accrington Stanley on Saturday looking to build on the eight-game unbeaten run on their own soil they have established following McGhee's appointment in January.
That run of form has played a major part in helping propel Rovers into the safety of mid-table – and Brown believes it can act a springboard to a better campaign next term.
"Our home form is going to be vital next season and you can see that all of the clubs who do well make their own grounds a bit of a fortress," said Brown. "Since the new manager has come in, we seem to have been doing that.
"We want to finish both of our remaining games on a high to try to give ourselves a bit of momentum for next year."
Despite improved results since McGhee's arrival, Rovers current position reflects a poor first half of the season.
"It's our own fault because we have under-achieved as a squad this season. Now we have to knuckle down, have a good pre-season and try to push on next year.
"We have improved defensively since the gaffer came in, though that's not just down to the back four.
"He has done a lot of work on the strikers and the midfielders defending as well, so we are defending a lot better as a team and individuals."
Brown, released by QPR last summer, recognises that his first full season in the Football League – which has seen him make 39 first-team starts with a further seven appearances from the bench – has gone better than he could have hoped for, at least on a personal level.
With another year left on his contract, he believes Rovers will be better equipped to hit the ground running next season – and is expecting a demanding build-up with McGhee known to be a tough taskmaster in pre-season.
"I've heard a lot about it, but we need a good pre-season and our fitness levels need to be high," he said.
"I think the players actually want to do it to get to a good level of fitness rather than just because they have to do it.
"We have the nucleus of a good squad here and I'm sure there will be or two additions over the summer."
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