GREG Abbott has vowed to keep fighting Notts County's corner as long as the players keep battling out on the pitch.
The Magpies' No.2 is facing a rap from the FA, after being sent to the stands in their 1-1 draw at Bradford City in midweek.
The flashpoint came deep into injury time when the Bantams were trying to get Notts goalscorer Gary Liddle sent off for a foul and Abbott leapt to his defence only to be ordered from the away dug out by ref Trevor Kettle.
"I'm good friends with the Bradford staff, but they were trying to influence the ref," said Abbott.
"I don't like that sort of behaviour and I told them and I would tell them again, that's the way I am.
"We're going to fight for this club and get everybody else fighting.
"It doesn't look good people going to the stands.
"But I'm not going to apologise for telling them that I didn't like what they were doing."
Abbott is still waiting to find out if he will face any punishment, but added: "I want an apology never mind a ban.
"I think the attitude of the fourth official and the officials leads to a little bit of intensity between everybody.
"We can all deal with it all better and for my part I was ready to apologise to the ref for forcing him to do it after the game because that's the way I am.
"But I think everybody has got to work together and use some common sense in situations like that.
"But it's all cleared up now and we'll have to wait and see what the FA decide to do."
"It all depends on what they say I was doing," he continued.
"If they say I was inciting something that was going to develop then it's bad news for you.
"But the ref's report was pretty decent, he just said he did it to diffuse a possible situation.
"He was thinking something might have happened if I stayed there.
"All that would have happened was two seconds later I would have apologised to their bench and expected one back and five minutes later we were having a drink."
Abbott might have been in trouble with the ref at Valley Parade, but he is confident the players can get Notts out of it at the bottom of League One after earning their first point under new boss Shaun Derry against the Bantams.
After defeats to Wolves and Shrewsbury Town in Derry's first two league games in charge, Abbott admits the draw was vital and believes they can build on it against Brentford at Meadow Lane tomorrow (3pm).
"If we get that in every game and we get better football with it we're going to be an improvement," he added. "But without that type of commitment you don't get better football – it comes that way round.
"You've got to get the boys believing and trying and dying for the shirt and any Notts County fan that was at the game would have seen everybody including the staff giving their all for the cause and we've got to take that attitude forward and then improve the football and the results as we go along."
Abbott wants to do it for the fans.
"I think our fans have been exceptional with the patience they have showed and the support they have given us," he said.
"If you take the Oldham game out I think they've been happy with the attitude and commitment.
"They have been so supportive, backed everything we're doing and I think now we've got to give them what they're looking for and that's improvement and results."
And he says it's not himself or Derry that need convincing Notts can stay up – it's the players themselves.
"I don't think Shaun and myself need more confidence, I think the players do," he said.
"I think the players have been a little bit hurt and dented by what has happened, but they are coming round.
"It's amazing how training has been (since the Bradford draw).
"The attitude and the mind-set has been much brighter and the belief has been a little bit bigger and if we can win (tomorrow) it will be bigger still.
"I still think the squad is good enough to go on a little bit of a run.
"We need a ten-match run somewhere between now and the end of the season.
"That's not winning games, that's not getting beat, that's winning and drawing, and I think the group is capable of that.
"The longer you get into it the easier it becomes, but it's getting that first point and that first win to get off and running.
"The point has lifted the players and we hope they take that into the next game."
