JONATHAN Obika has been set a challenge by Town boss Mark Cooper.

The striker has been in good form so far in pre-season. He scored the late winner at Petersfield last weekend and looked sharp against Aston Villa on Tuesday night.

After a blistering start to his second spell at the County Ground, Obika’s goal trail slowed towards the end of last season. The striker scored only three times after Christmas, although one was the clincher in the play-off semi-final.

With last season’s top-scorer Andy Williams gone and Cooper looking like he is leaning towards a three-man frontline, the Town boss is keen for Obika to work on his consistency.

“Jon’s standard is that (which he showed against Aston Villa), he’s got to keep that up, he can’t let that drop,” Cooper told the local media. “If he can maintain that form we’ve got a good striker.

“Apart from his shoulder he’s always been fit. It’s just trying to get him consistent, but if he plays (like he did against Villa) every week he could damage a few teams.

“Hopefully the frontline will iron itself out. That’s the bit that costs money, we’ve got boys there that have proven they can score goals. It’s just trying to ignite them and get them firing.”