DK: Top of the tree at Christmas, not bad?
KH: Yeah, yeah, look, we said from the very start that we wanted to improve our league, obviously form and positioning from the last couple of seasons. And at the minute it's going alright, we're where we would like to finish. To finish here is going to be tough obviously, because we're the ones to shoot down now and the team to beat, so it's going to be tough, but we were that today. Alvechurch ain't having a great run, but it's tough conditions, tough pitch, they're up for it, and we just churn out results, we keep clean sheets and score goals, so at the minute we've got a good combination.
DK: Yeah, a perfect performance, professional in fact, like you say, in difficult conditions.
KH: Yes, it's always tough here. We generally get quite good results here, but it is very tough. Lads have got that winning mentality about them now, we're up against it, they defend all together as a team. And we're a threat going forward, so the goals we scored today were really pleasing. I'm buzzing that Seth got obviously a couple, the first one from a set piece, which we don't score enough of, if I'm totally honest. The second one was from the throw-in that we've done work on. So that was pleasing, and then Seth's second goal, and our third, was one that we spoke to Seth about using his body, his strength and his size, and he twisted and turned in the box, it was a great finish. So all round it was a perfect day for us.
DK: Yeah, like you say, credit to Seth and Ingers for their finishes, but the build-up play for all those goals was sensational.
KH: Yeah, we've got good players, we've got obviously defenders that can defend, but can play as well, and full backs that join in, midfielders that are creative, wingers that can cause real problems, and when that all comes together and they're on the same wavelength, which they have been for most of the season, we're hard to contain, obviously today we couldn't be contained and ended up 3 -0, comfortable win.
DK: Could have been a bit more on the end, but you take it, you know.
KH: Yeah, but look, it was a tough game, obviously fighting for their lives of the bottom end of the table, they're sticking bodies forward, but I thought we were very professional. If you'd had told me 3-0 at the start of the day, I'd have been very pleased, and so for that reason, I'm very pleased.
DK: Signed off 2023 perfectly?
KH: Yeah, it's been good. It's been it's been a good, obviously start to the test. I will still call it a start because there's such a long way to go. People will start talking about us and start saying, oh, yeah, they got a chance. They got this. We're just concentrating on what we're doing. Obviously, people will look at other results and who's around us and who's a threat. There's several teams that could still have a say in the wins this division and who goes up in the playoffs. So we're not taking anything for granted, but we're certainly rather be where we are this Christmas than we were last Christmas.
DK: Is it more the same in the new year or anything different?
KH: No, no, it's pretty simple. We work hard. We work on things in training. We train at a tempo, that's, that's really fast and quick and prepares us for matches that normally last 96 minutes now. We're fit, we're strong, obviously our squad is fairly thin so we've been fairly fortunate with injuries so far so hopefully that continues and it's just more of the same, more of the same buying into what we're doing and working hard and we'll see where Texas is.
DK: You can enjoy this Christmas a bit better than last Christmas now.
KH: Yeah, hopefully. On the way home maybe we'll have some Haribos.
DK: Here and you and Haribos, there seems to be a match made in heaven I think.
KH: Do you know what I've not had any for a while?
Maybe it was the Haribos while we were losing. The lads, we're not playing Boxing Day obviously so the lads can enjoy their Christmas Day a little bit more than they probably would have normally but we will train in between and then obviously we've got a massive game away at Sudbury, local Derby, against a manager that I know and I speak to and I really like, they're picking up results as well now so it should be hopefully a bumper crowd and hopefully the game of football will come in the next day. Yeah, I've probably played against him on the Sudbury manager a few times over at Haverhill. He's a great lad and he's obviously, there's been a lot of changes, he's done a great job there and they're playing really good football so it should be a good game.
DK: Yeah, nice local Derby to start 2024.
KH: Yeah, we just look forward to, top the tree so the easy bit's been done, we've got there, the hard bit's now staying there. They've picked up some great results this season, he's a really good coach Mark and he'll have a mat here and they'll play really good football so we'll have to be our best, it's not a gimme, no game is in this division so to win that game we'd have to go there hopefully with a full squad and hopefully we play as well as we can and then that gives us a chance.
DK: It'd be nice if we have Tev back hopefully then.
KH: Yeah, I think we will be so that'd be a big boost but lads that have filled in for him since he's got injured have done an unbelievable, that's what the squad is. Hopefully we can continue in the vein of form that we're in.
DK: Is there anything that could've gone better so far this season?
KH: Yeah, we could've not lost 6-1 to Stratford first game of the season, I'd have loved to have still been in the trophy, but league wise it's near on perfect. I think we've played, even the games that we've not won, well and could've (won), apart from the first league game where there we lost 6-1. I don't know where that come from, it probably wasn't a 6-1, but we didn't deserve to win that day, other than that I think we've deserved everything we've got.
DK: And the all round team performances today and all season have got us where we are now.
KH: They just buy into what we doing, they listen, they apply it, what we work on in games now, and they're a really good group, a tight knit group, they obviously, when they're on the football pitch, look after each other, and that's what it's about. They haven't all got to be really close friends off it, but they are, they do mix quite well. On the pitch they're a team, and you can see that, and that's where results come from.
Captain Keiran Morphew gives his thoughts on Needham's win at Alvechurch.
DK: 3 -0 win away from home, perfect day really.
KM: Yep, great result, tricky place to come. Conditions and pitch and, yeah, tough away game, conditions like, bit windy, pitch a bit boggy, obviously everyone knows what Alvechurch is like, with the quality of the pitch and stuff like that, but we've come here and we've, yeah, we've played the conditions well, done our job, got goals at good times, shortly before first, end of the first half and pretty quick after the half time and then Seth's put the game to bed late on, so perfectly away performance .
DK: Like you say, that goal came at the right time, 10 minutes before half time and then like you say, hit them with a double whammy just after the break.
KM: Yeah, yeah, it was. Seth could have scored before that as well, keeper's made the save off a volley, but I thought we were banging on the door first half, we pinned them in, I think they got on a break a couple of times, but other than that I don't think they really caused us many trouble, much trouble, so.
DK: You must be a happy captain, top of the tree for Christmas.
KM: Yeah, yeah, it's an unusual feeling, I've always said I'm a bit of a pessimist, so I'm waiting for all to crash and burn, but now I'll enjoy, everyone's enjoying it while we're doing it and we only, we just take every game in our stride, we just work hard for everyone, for each other, put work on the training field, we all know what we're doing and that's showing, looking good.
DK: With now that, that's it for 2023 for us, so it must be perfect end to an alright year, really.
KM: Yeah, I think obviously the league last year wasn't very good, we obviously had a decent cup run, but I personally have always said that I want a good league run, I want something to play for at the end of the season instead of just finishing mid-table or, I'm glad that we're going to be, hopefully without jinxing it, we go into the new year in the same form, and we've got something to play for at the end. That's all any of us want, just to be competitive at the end.
DK: It's just about keeping going one game at a time, doing the same things.
KM: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Everyone's grounded. Do you know what I mean? We're a small little club punching well above our weight. I don't think teams want to play against us. I think we're awkward to play against, but we seem to be grinding out wins at the moment, and we're doing all right.
DK: From this time last year, what's the one big thing that's different to you?
KM: I think work rate probably is what I would say. We've obviously added to the team, bringing the left back in, pushing Jake to the right, and then Hammy in the midfield. I think that's been underrated. Well, it hasn't been underrated, but I think that's been brilliant. Tommy's slotted in lovely, and all the signings have come in, and they're brilliant. Whereas maybe some years, the signings have not done as well. This year, they've been brilliant, and they've all added something to the team. We've added a bit of a change in style of play which is probably more suited to the conditions all year round rather than just when the pitch is nice, but we're just we're just playing well and once the train gets going it's hard to stop.
DK: Yeah it's been a catalyst to success you could say.
KM: Yeah yeah I mean we got wins we obviously had a bad start to the season in the league and then you just get wins at good times and you just get momentum. We've always said that I don't think we've ever been far away from being a good team really. I don't think teams wanted to play us before but we probably didn't score enough and probably shipped in a bit too many goals but seems to be going well at the moment.
DK: We've had a few games without clean sheets as a defender that must be doubly nice.
KM: Yeah we've had a couple of 2-1s. We had 0-0 but a couple of 2-1s. I mean a wins a win but it's always nice to get a clean sheet keep that defensive record low. But like I say we don't really think about these things. We're just we're just trying to take each game as it comes and everyone tries their hardest. We're all honest lads and that's it.
DK:Local derby at Sudbury to start next year off.
KM: Yeah that'll be a good game. I haven't played Sudbury in a long time like competitively. They're doing well I think. I don't know how they got on today. Yeah so they're doing, their flying really, like all the teams have suffered but now starting to pick up I think. Obviously Leiston got a good result and Sudbury got a good result so. Like I said we're just on honest guys. It's just going into going into each game as in putting ourselves in a as good a position as we can in every game.
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