Ahead of tomorrow’s game away to Maidstone United, we sat down with Warren Feeney,.who told us about our next steps, why our players should “enjoy” playing, and more…
On the mood after last weekend’s relegation:
Now everything is confirmed, all we can do is just get on with preparing for next season. We were disappointed on Saturday – we didn’t give ourselves a chance to stay up from the start. Now, we’re just getting ourselves ready for a tough game against Maidstone tomorrow.
On how we’ll prepare for life after relegation:
As I said to the players at the weekend, sometimes you just have to reset. What’s done is done – now we just have to move forward. All I want them to do now for the rest of the season is play with smiles on their faces.
On whether our relegation is frustrating given our quality:
That’s the frustrating part – on our day we’re I’ll back us against anyone. But, we are where we are and we have to take it on the chin. Let’s regroup as a team and move forward. We need to develop a top mentality, which starts from pre-season, and if we get in the right players our jobs will become a lot easier.
On whether he is looking forward to pre-season this summer:
Pre-season is the most important part of a season. If you use this period to get your players fit and playing how you want to play, you will give yourself a chance. I played at a decent level, but whereas others had ability, I had determination. I went into games feeling untouchable when I was at my fittest. When you’re physically fit, you’re mentally fit. We’ll be making sure our boys go all out ahead of a good campaign next year.
On how we can compete against other teams:
There’s a lot of teams who have better finances than us. We’ve got to get the right players in, the ones with the right balance of quality and determination. We’ll certainly have a target on our back next season – we’re a big club with a proud history.
On our fans:
The fans have been brilliant since I’ve come in. If we start playing well early next season and win games, the fans will be there, and that’s what we want to happen. They’re good people and we need to show our appreciation of them for the rest of the season, starting tomorrow.
On tomorrow’s game:
Maidstone have a lot to play for, so we know they’ll be at it. They have a great team full of winners, so we know we’ll be in for a tough game tomorrow. Hopefully it’s a game we’ll enjoy playing.
On key reminders for the players:
I just want them to work hard, keep things simple and enjoy their football. I won’t be changing what we’re looking to do. I want them to play with smiles on their faces and get a good result.
