It’s been a busy week for Marcus Bignot.

The Chester FC boss sat down with the press for his weekly conference on Thursday afternoon and talked on the Woking game, how the players have responded to the defeat and previewed the weekend derby at Tranmere Rovers.

Here’s what he had to say.

On the Woking loss

“Tuesday’s performance and result was probably what people would have expected in my first game in charge, only having them for one training session and then going into a home game with the record that the club had had.

“Saturday’s game (against Maidenhead) probably mirrored what you would have expected what you would have wanted after 10 games in charges. We kind of got the performances the wrong way round. When you look into that a little bit deeper suggests what they took into Saturday, the organisation and discipline, wasn’t there on Tuesday and we have addressed that in training.

“Tuesday it felt slugglish at times on the ball but for me this group, the mentality of the group, has to win football matches. What goes on between the two 18-yard boxes is pretty much irrelevant right here, right now. You saw (against Maidenhead) how we want to evolve and how we want to play but there is going to be times when we don’t play well on the ball. It doesn’t mean you can’t win a game of football. It’s about the group now identifying how to win football matches differently.

“Tuesday was a game we shouldn’t have lost in terms of the mentality of the group. We didn’t play well but in terms of the goals we conceded, and I know every manager talks about mistakes and how they could have been prevented, but honestly those goals I know I can look every player in their eyes, their concentration and discipline had wandered in those two goals.

“It’s good it happened so early and we have addressed it. We have got to get the mentality into the group not to lose football matches.”

Marcus Bignot speaks to his Chester FC players on the pitch after the 2-0 home defeat to Woking on Tuesday night

On getting the players up for the derby

“It’s the players responsibility to get the supporters behind them and give them something to get behind the players. That means putting in a tackle, running harder and winning your headers. We have responsibility to the supporters, but when it comes to derbies I think because of the environment, supporters get the players up for it.

“We are going to have a mass away support so it needs no words, it needs no motivation because we’ll get that with regards to the atmosphere around us. But what I want to see, with that atmosphere, are we still going to be organised? Are we still going to have that concentration?”

On how the players responded to Tuesday’s defeat

“It’s like when your child has been naughty and you take their sweets away from them, their little privileges, their iPads etc. I was going to take their privileges away in training but what they showed me means I’m going into Saturday confident, so I gave them back their iPads and sweets and they had a bit of fun.”

On what he is expecting from Tranmere

“My time at Barrow, I had watched previous games at Tranmere. It was a fine line between success and failure and they were on that fine line but I have no doubt they are going to turn it around. They are a good team but I took a team, Barrow, and lost last kick of the game and they (Tranmere) were fortunate and had a little bit of luck but I’m confident that we can come back with a result.

“It changes your week (winning football matches). Derbies for me, it’s more than just that result, it’s the week after it and we want to send the supporters going into work being victorious and having something to smile about.”

On the ‘mentality’ of the squad

“What we are asking to do technically, they can do it. What we ask of them tactically they can do. My challenge to them will be the mentality. What we saw Tuesday was a drop in that concentration and that discipline. If you come off that and come off our structure, our organisation and don’t take care of your roles and responsibilities you will get punished. My challenge to the players is a mental one and something we are looking in to. Hopefully they will come up with the answers.”