NEIL Harris wants players and fans to “feed off” one another to improve results at home.
The Lions won just five league games at The Den last season – two of which came under Harris – and he is keen to follow up a first clean sheet last weekend with a first win at home on Saturday.
He also pointed to the emergence of Sid Nelson, Ben Thompson and Fred Onyedinma this season as an important element in fostering a relationship between the team and supporters.
“A positive environment is key,” Harris said. “What comes first, is it the fans feeding off the players, or the players feeding off the fans?
“The good years here is when it’s been both: if the players aren’t doing it it’s the fans that get the players going. If the fans are quiet the players get the fans going.
“It’s got to be that way. It’s hard because you want to please your home fans, but you’re there to win a game of football.
“The perfect scenario is to win the game in the right manner, but we’re there first and foremost to win.
“We just want the fans to come and enjoy watching their team. Any fan that went to Scunthorpe at the weekend would have enjoyed seeing three teenagers in the team that have come through our academy, so I think little things like that contribute to the positive feel.”
Meanwhile Harris says he currently has no plans to loan out players such as Jack Powell who have been in the first-team squad this season, while he hasn’t ruled out new signings coming in before the close of the transfer window next week.
Harris said: “Jack’s been in every squad and is certainly in my thoughts and will continue to be so. At the moment we’re not looking to loan anybody out who has been in the first-team squad.
“We’re always looking for players we think could improve the squad. We’re always keeping a close eye on the situation.”