FOREST GREEN manager Mark Cooper is confident his side will be able to survive League Two relegation despite a 3-1 defeat to fellow strugglers Crewe Alexandra.

Three consecutive defeats have left Rovers looking anxiously below, but Cooper  believes his side will keep their league status with eight games to play and a six-point buffer above the bottom two.

“Now is the time for me to keep a really calm and clear head and focus on what the job is between now and the end of the season, said Cooper, who craves two wins to protect Rovers' place in the Football League.

“We need to make sure we get six or seven points to try and stay in the Football League and that is what we are going to try and do.”

Rovers started the night level on points with Crewe, but were caught cold just before the break when Jordan Bowery struck.

Crewe turned up the heat in the second-half, bagging two goals in as many minutes through Charlie Kirk and a second for Bowery.

Dayle Grubb pulled a goal back and sub Alex Bray hit the bar, but it was too little too late for Rovers.

Cooper made a double change at half-time with Charlie Cooper and Chris Clements failing to emerge for the second-half.

“I could have taken 10 off at half-time,” said Cooper.

“If I hadn’t taken Charlie (Cooper) off I would have got battered, so he had to come off.”

Moving on quickly, Cooper wants to put the Crewe defeat behind him as he looks ahead to a home clash against play-off chasing Mansfield Town on Saturday.

He added: “We will take some flack tonight, which is fully deserved, but we take tonight on the chin and put that one to bed and stay positive and lift the players.

“Hopefully Doidgey (Christian Doidge) is back for Saturday and Wish (Dan Wishart) is fit, and we get our best players on the pitch.”