Mark, great to talk to you ahead of the new season. On the back of a comfortable win last week, it appears that there are exciting times ahead!
Yes. Last week as the first test for a few new players, although it was mainly about getting the fitness levels up. We’re certainly not getting too carried away!
The last few weeks have been really enjoyable; the lads are enjoying themselves and working very hard. I’m really enjoying working with the group.
As you mentioned, we saw some new faces, namely Amartey and Brooklyn, take to the pitch. What did you make of their introduction to the team?
Very positive. With both players, you had a sneak peek at their potential. Now, we’re really looking to gelling them into the team, and strengthening bonds with the rest of the boys. I’ve got a really good squad, which is important as there’s a lot of hard work ahead for us.
You told us last season that you “want tough.” It seems like you’ve got the players ready for what’s in front of them.
Definitely. We know how tough next season will be, with the amount of quality in this league, so we have to prepare ourselves for that as best as we can. Thursday night showed just how hard they’ve been working, both on and off the pitch, with the running they did after the game.
On the pitch there were evident positives. Keelan and Mal combined together very well for the third goal. That level of chemistry on the pitch, how much of that came from patterns of play worked on in training?
It’s very early days, although we did see some of training come out on the pitch at Hamworthy. I think it was easy to see that they were enjoying their football. Right now, it’s about balancing the importance of building strong foundations within the group and getting the players fit. It’s a shame I don’t get to coach them every day; there’s so much we want to do to get even better!
Hopefully we’ll continue to keep working hard to put smiles on the faces of the fans. It was great to see them on Thursday. When I saw them, I thought to myself, “football’s back.”
The fan turnout seems to reflect something that Kellan told us a few weeks ago, the idea that the lads hadn’t been this excited about a new season for a number of years.
This renders true, not only with many of last season’s players committing to the club once again with new deals, but also having players like Mal Linton come back. The club must be doing something right!
I never concern myself with what other clubs are doing, but it’s great that we’ve been able to attract players of Malachi’s quality, in a very competitive market, and bring them to the club.
A big reason we were able to do that is down to the fans; they sell the club for me, which means we have players here for the right reasons. They may have been able to get better deals elsewhere, but their thought process has gone beyond money. They’ve come here for the stature of our club and the community surrounding it. I think that will help us punch above our weight this year.
Whilst it will be tough to compete with teams financially, given the amount of full-time teams in this league, we can compete in other areas, such as hard work, team spirit, and togetherness in the community.
Definitely. Without talking too much about old times, we’ve always managed to punch above our weight here, because when we stick together we are one mighty force, and we are certainly looking to re-create that. While we’re not bothered about how much other clubs are spending, it’s about more than money here at Weymouth. Money doesn’t buy everything, and we have a really good group. We just need to continue working hard and defying the odds.
Importantly, too, the fans will recognise a passionate team that is working hard.
Without a doubt. If they can see a team playing for the badge, they will be forgiving towards us during tougher times. They’re a good bunch and aware of the challenges in this league, and they see an honest, hardworking team that are trying to entertain them.
The under-23s came to train with the lads last week. How did they get on?
It’s definitely something to celebrate. We saw five of them against Hamworthy last week, so it’s great that some of them are already able to not only train with us, but get on the pitch with us. Hopefully that will strengthen the link between the under-23s and the first team.
What can they learn from the senior team as they try to make that step up?
With every step-up in football, things just become a bit more clinical. You’ve got to be more physical, sharp and switched-on. The volume turns up on every aspect of the game. With our strong and technical players, the standard in training is high. But, if you go with the programme and train hard, you become part of the group. I suppose that’s part of life, surrounding yourself with the best people you can.
But, we’re certainly not putting pressure on our youngsters. We’re just delighted to have some talented players, who played for the under-23s last year, in and around our team.
Finally, how excited are the boys to be getting some more games under their belt before the new season?
There’s no better feeling than putting on the shirt and playing in a game. I think some of them prefer getting their fitness levels up through matches rather than training, especially when we’re trying to break them a little bit!
You could see last week how buzzing they were to get back on the pitch. Long may that continue.
Interview by
Jack Webb
