Ahead of today’s home contest versus Salisbury, we spoke to manager Warren Feeney about the importance of keeping football “simple,” the need for a connection between the fans and the players, and more..
On last week’s result:
I thought the performance by the boys was outstanding. We came to a place like Maidstone, one of the top teams in the league, and equipped ourselves very well – on another day we could’ve won the game. The boys showed character, and overall I was very, very pleased.
On the importance of a solid defence:
I was brought up with the mentality that if you start with a point you need to finish with at least a point. A clean sheet is always massive – strikers can win games, but defenders can win you titles. Maidstone is a tough place to go, especially after they beat Boreham Wood 4-0 in their last home game. This result has seen us build foundations, which is very pleasing.
On keeping his tactics “simple:”
Football is a simple game and you need to keep it as simple as you can. You don’t need to overcomplicate things – my staff and I gave the boys instructions which they followed. That worked very well for us.
On integrating our youth players into the first team:
I want to bring up as many players from the under-23s squad as possible. It’s important to get them in the mix of the first team and give them a chance. By getting them in and around the place, and training with us, this will prepare them for next season. Hopefully it will give them a bit of confidence to kick on in their careers, too.
On wanting the players to learn from people around them:
It’s important that the players bounce off each other. They need to realise, when they go into games, that they’ll need to figure out how to adapt to the situations they’ll be put in. That comes with taking responsibility. We are where we are for a reason – we’re showing form but it’s too late – so this is something we need to do going forward into next season.
On the importance of finishing this season strongly:
We need to finish as high as we can. Obviously there will be some changes before the start of next season, but right now we can only worry about what’s in front of us and start building a confident squad ahead of the next campaign.
On displaying a good performance today in front of the fans:
The fans have been brilliant this season. What’s done is done, and we have to accept that, but they’ve been brilliant since I’ve come in. It’s important that we finish the season as high as we can. We need to establish togetherness between the players and the fans, starting with today’s home game.
