John Pritchard: We are approaching the first game of the season, it has come very fast, how are you feeling going into it?
Jake McCarthy: Yeah it definitely has come round very fast. I am personally feeling strong and fit off the back of a good pre-season. The team as a whole is looking strong and competition for places has never been higher.
JP: The first opposition being Maidstone, someone who you have had a short spell with, I’m sure it will be nice to go back to the Gallagher Stadium, what was the experience like at only 17?
JM: Yeah I was at Maidstone briefly on loan. Didn’t manage to play much due to the clubs position in the table and therefore wanting more experienced players on the pitch. I know the management has changed and there is a completely new team there now but it’s a really good set up down there and I know the fans usually turn up in their numbers so it should be a good test!
JP: Winning is a good habit and something we took advantage of last season and had great runs, how important is it to start the season strong?
JM: It’s definitely important to try and start the season strong. We’ve had a great pre-season results wise but those games all mean nothing if we go and put in a poor display against Maidstone. Everybody wants to win, it’s a great habit. If we can string a couple of wins together early doors I wouldn’t say no. The whole club is set up to keep pushing for more and more on and off the pitch. Of course, a team that’s just been relegated from the National League will want to bounce straight back up, but I feel we will are more than capable to hold our own in this league and will have the element of surprise on a lot of teams.
