FOREST GREEN head coach Mark Cooper insists captain Carl Winchester should be playing in the Championship.

The former Cheltenham Town midfielder has been Rovers' shining beacon this season,carrying his team during the recent run of poor form, plundering five goals in his last seven games.

Cooper said: “He’s a Championship player and if I was a Championship manager, he’d be one of the first players I would take he’s a top, top player and should be playing at a much higher level. He’s at least a seven and a half out of ten each week and the dangerous thing for us, he’s started scoring goals and if he adds those goals to his game, he’s a complete midfield player.

Watch Cooper discuss Winchester's mesmerising form and more in our video below.