Today, with it being Easter Monday, can I welcome our very good friends from Enfield Town and may I wish their Directors, Manager, Players and supporters a warm welcome and a safe journey home.
I’m having to write these notes before our Good Friday visit to Slough Town, and we already know what a difficult game that will be. I’m mindful if it’s gone wrong that there has been no resurrection for us thus far this Easter, and we could be sitting down in 8th. That said, if it’s gone well, we could like “the good book” said have risen early to move as high as 4th – please forgive the analogy.
In truth the title went for us some time ago and we’ve had to accept that, move on and wipe our mouths. That said we remarkably have everything still to play for although things are still very tight in our particular Play-off dog fight. To compound things even further, Weston Super Mare who were sitting down in 8th, were 1-0 down to Tonbridge in the 82nd minute last Saturday when their game was abandoned due to a medical emergency in the crowd, that game was replayed on Tuesday and Weston surprise, surprise, beat Tonbridge to close to within two points of us and move up to seventh place.
We can though only concentrate on ourselves, and I feel in our last two home games the team has looked a lot more focused and has played better in the new formation. It looks like we now have more legs, I feel we now go forward with a bit more intent and if we can push on and deal with what’s in front of us, then who knows where that might lead us?
In truth, we comfortably beat both Salisbury and Hemel Hempstead 3-0, admittedly both at home, and of course that can only help our confidence and with Josef Yarney, David Agbontohoma, Femi Ilesanmi and Charles Clayden all now back, and with both Kwezi Appiah and Chris Bush nearing full fitness, our squad strength is suddenly looking a lot healthier and should hold us in good stead if we get into the Play-offs.
Enfield Town arrive here this afternoon and dependant on what happened on Good Friday, could either be safe from relegation or coming here needing points just to stay up….. hopefully they are coming here safe because if not, it is going to be a “battle royale” with both clubs needing points for very different reasons.
In our last home game against Hemel Hempstead our skipper Jack Payne picked up yet another knee injury and that might have just finished his season. That said, we’ll get him a scan and see what the damage is, but for me it looks like a recurrence of a previous medial ligament injury and if that turns out to be true then the diagnosis is he’ll be out for around six to eight weeks – so season over.
The bad news regarding Jack does though open up a window of opportunity for someone else and I thought Charlie O’Connell did very well when he came on against Hemel. We also have Mo Sagaf available in centre mid so they, along with Tom Whelan, mean our options are quite good in that area.
After falling away recently regarding league title form, it’s been nice to see a new formation being bedded in at the club. Trust me, the players, Luke and associated dressing room staff are working tremendously hard at improving on the detail and even working on their day off on all the little improvements still needed to give ourselves a chance of success.
For me I’m just pleased the formation change has added a little bit of excitement to our season, it’s added more legs, it’s added Abdul and it’s added little partnerships all over the park and also given a freshness and energy to our play and to our mindsets.
For your information, we will have our clubs’ Annual Gala Dinner this evening at the Village Hotel. Can I especially thank our supporters, our players, staff, sponsors, local dignitaries and all of our club partners and contractors for attending once again and making this very important club evening a sell-out.
Although this afternoon is very much about Luke and the dressing room, this evening is also about you the supporters, our town and our wider community, who make this club so special and it’s only through your togetherness, your loyalty and your unwavering support that you give me a reason to continue to underwrite the dressing room budget, wants and needs, and it is your energy that feeds into our wider community’s football ambitions.
After today can I issue a rallying cry, as we travel to Tonbridge Angels on Saturday for our last game of the regular season. I suspect we are going to need to get something down there, not only to secure a Play-off position but to possibly even nick 4th or 5th place?
Remember 4th or 5th would be good enough to give us home advantage for the opening game of the Play-offs which I feel could be crucial. I believe Grant Morris is running up to two supporter coaches for the game and if he does, I’m asking you guys to mobilise, travel and commit to getting yourselves down there. If you do, I’ll subsidise both coaches for our supporters so please help us fill them. The price will be £20 for adults, £10 for under 18’s and hopefully that allows you all to easily get down there in your numbers, to make some noise and if you can do that, hopefully we can give you something to really shout about.
As I’ve said before, whatever league we might end up in, let all the noise and any pressure on our future land on me as I run the club, I set the budgets, I employ the staff and with my experience I believe I know what we need, what has worked for us over the years and in truth I know who I want to work with and who I want to invest in.
Your job now is to stick with us, stay loyal, have a bit of fun, stay positive, get behind Luke and the dressing room, enjoy the excitement and madness of the Play-offs and if we manage to get to them and get ourselves a home game, then do your very best to fill Meadow Park or if we are away then mobilise and travel in your numbers.
Finally, whoever you support let’s hope for an open, attacking game and may the best team win.
Take care,
Danny.
