This week we’re switching up by getting some views from assistant manager Rob Webb.
How did you think pre-season went?
We had a really promising pre-season, largely against teams in divisions above us. Matty always gives us the hardest run of the season in pre-season! For many of the games we either held our own or dominated the ball which did actually exceed my expectations for that stage of our squad’s development. With a fairly new squad, it was a case of trial and error to understand new player characteristics and recognising which one’s complement each other in different situations.
Has our start to the season been as expected or exceeded expectations?
I think myself, Matty and the coaching team always expect to win games. The amount of preparation and thought that goes into every decision we make to do with the upcoming fixture outlines our expectation to win. That along with the type of characters we build our squads with, we always set up to win a game, we don’t play for draws. So, I would say we’ve not exceeded expectations because we set the bar high and we setup to achieve our goals.
One win is as good as three draws, so for me I’ll always roll the dice and go for the win! Mainly because I trust what we’re doing and our players to go out there and deliver in big moments. However, we take it one game at a time. We’re of the mindset that we want teams to worry about us and not the other way around. We always set up to win the game and play the way we’ve set up to do so. If we spot a weakness in game to exploit, we make changes in game based on that particular tactical necessity.
Any one player impress you during pre-season and made you think, he’s on it?
I don’t think anyone in particular stood out for me in pre-season. I’ve been very impressed with how quickly the guys have not only bonded but bought into our whole ethos and collectively we’re already seeing the benefits of that. If you’re pushing for me to pick one, I think Ethan Kitching is someone who at such a young age has impressed me with the way he came into the team performing at the levels we expect and doing it from minute one.
Of the 9 opponents so far, any you think will finish top3, or who’s been the toughest opponent?
I’ll be honest it’s too early to tell. Everyone seems to be taking points off of everyone. I haven’t seen a better footballing side than us this season yet, however, there’s some brilliant individuals in teams across the league who can change games. Again, if I had to choose the best three opponents, the I’d say Bedfont, PFC Victoria & Colliers Wood.
Have you and Matt set a points target for the season, broken it down per month?
I wouldn’t say we have a points target month to month, but we know how many points we need as a minimum to reach the playoffs. As mentioned, we take every game as it comes. We plan the squad selections around player availability, suspensions and Injuries in advance, as best we can, and then we simply try and win every game.
