After going the month of February without tasting defeat, Forest Green Rovers manager Mark Cooper has been nominated for the League Two Manager of the Month award.

The New Lawn boss, who was also nominated back in October, is joined by Accrington Stanley’s John Coleman, former Mansfield boss Steve Evans and Cambridge United’s caretaker boss Joe Dunne.

Rovers went into the month second from bottom in League Two, a point adrift of Chesterfield above them.

However, impressive wins at home to Coventry City and Stevenage saw them move out of the relegation places and a draw away at Morecambe followed by a 2-0 win over Crawley has seen them put a six-point cushion between themselves and the bottom two.

While Cooper has been nominated, he was quick to acknowledge the work of his whole coaching and playing staff in achieving the impressive turnaround in form.

“It’s great when you get recognised,” he said.

“We see it as a group nomination. Everyone has put a lot of work into the last month, all the staff and players, it’s been a big group effort.

“It’s nice. We must be doing something ok at the minute and long may that continue.

“It’s a new month now. We’ve got to start again and hopefully we’re sat here at the beginning of April and you’re asking me the same questions.”

The upturn in form, which saw them ranked as the best team statistically in the division and sixth in England overall, coincided with the arrival of 10 new signing during the course of January, with Cooper identifying early on the changes that needed to be made to maintain their League Two status.

Even he admits he was surprised with how quickly the players have bedded in to their new surroundings but knew he was bringing in the quality to achieve that.

“I think you’re always hoping that the new players will settle in but it wasn’t like it was overnight, there was a transition period, we lost at Swindon, we lost at Carlisle when we were still a little bit in transition,” he added.

“From November onwards I knew the players I wanted, we had identified them and worked really hard on trying to attract those players to the football club.

“We knew with the quality we were bringing in we could only be better and that’s how it has panned out.”

With 11 games of the season remaining, starting with a trip to Newport County this evening, Cooper is confident his side can achieve what he set out to do and maintain their League Two status for next season.

However, he says that will only be achieved if they continue to demand high standards of themselves and not to let slip in the final throws of the campaign.

He said: “If we keep our performances at the level they are currently at then we have an opportunity to do that.

“Football has a horrible habit of slapping you around the face when you least expect it.

“We’ve got to be on our guard all the time and we have to perform every day in training, perform every game and do all the little things right that make the big results come.”