After our massive win away to Dorking Wanderers last Saturday, we sat with Mark Molesley ahead of tomorrow’s FA Cup tie in Sholing.
Our gaffer spoke about the “relief” of our first win of the season, the “magic” of the FA Cup and more…
Here is everything he had to say:
on Saturday’s win:
That winning feeling was a lot more euphoric than your average win. But, more importantly, I was very pleased for the players and the travelling fans; the boys have given me everything and been very hard done by recently. Their belief and work rate has never wavered, so it was about time they were rewarded.
There was no greater feeling than that win; we’ve got to want that feeling again and again.
on ensuring consistency:
The important thing now is what we do next. We have to champion the work rate and togetherness we showed last week, and make sure we see it again tomorrow. That has to remain the foundation of this team, and then the quality will start to expand as we grow as a group and welcome back some very important players.
on injury news:
Keelan O’Connell trained with us yesterday. Ben Greenwood, Brandon [Goodship] and Mal [Linton] have seen a specialist. Our physio has done some great work. He’s been one of the busiest men at the club; I must thank him for helping get players like Calvin Brooks and Josh McQuoid back in the team!
We still have to be patient for when they do come back, and make sure we get them back on the pitch safely, in a way that doesn’t break them.
on showing character through tough times:
You can see last Saturday that the hardship we felt created a bond between the players. But, this character has to be the benchmark. Things hadn’t really gone our way before Saturday, and it looked to be doing the same in the first half, so it would have been easy to drop heads. But they didn’t. They battled against all the odds.
on what the team represents:
I don’t want to celebrate just this one win.
Ultimately, alongside wanting the team to represent the club, community and fans, I need them to represent my values and what I stand for. That level of heart they showed at the weekend, I want to see that on a regular basis.
on the importance of the FA Cup:
It’s a huge competition. We’ve all grown up watching it, dreaming about it, and re-enacting it in the garden. There’s no other cup like it; it can create some of the best memories in football.
on Sholing:
We are in for one hell of a tie. Paul Doswell knows his way around non-league football better than anyone, and has built a really strong side full of top-quality players. They’ll be fancying their chances and we have a big challenge ahead. If anyone thinks it will be anything other than that, they are in for a rude awakening.
on his memories of the FA Cup and why the competition is important to him:
I remember by heart being broken when Tony Gale was sent off for West Ham back in 1991; we were up against Nottingham Forest in the semi-final, and Forest beat us. I also remember when Ian Wright helped knock Liverpool out with Crystal Palace the year before.
I think the FA Cup represents football perfectly. It’s everyone’s game, and anyone can have their day. It’s also a chance for clubs to change their fortunes; I know this from my playing days at Aldershot Town. We were in administration, yet we managed to beat Portsmouth at home. The TV coverage from that game was the saving of the club. This competition can generate the funds of multiple seasons to come for some clubs.