Assistant Manager Tom Rothery reflects on last night's pre-season game with Braintree.
DK: Another entertaining friendly between us and Braintree, albeit gutting to concede.
TR: Yeah, always, always annoying really. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't annoyed. But yeah, like we said to the lads at the start, it is really important. It's all about minutes and I think even yourself, as you're watching the second half, you make so many changes and it becomes very... It's almost quite difficult to watch as well because it's just very difficult when you start making a lot of changes and the game becomes a little bit fragmented. They were quite strong in the second half, I thought, and we obviously were playing more players that hadn't played with each other, etc. So it makes it hard for those players coming on potentially against a team that's probably a little bit stronger from their point of view. But like we said right at the start, and I'll stick to this, pre-season is about getting minutes, people understanding and the results obviously are always important, but they are a little bit of a secondary when it comes to pre-season because we could start our strongest XI, they could start their strongest XI, but ultimately you've got to try and get everyone fit and try and get everyone ready for that first game of the season because none of us know what's going to happen in four or five weeks and we could play our regular back four and a goalkeeper and one of them then isn't available for whatever reason come the start of the season and then the player you're relying on isn't fit. So you have to get everyone fit. I hate pre-season. I've never liked pre-season for all of those reasons. I'm pretty much cut and dry 100 percent. I want to win every game, so pre-season I do find difficult, but as I've got older and more experienced, then you understand that the performance is definitely more important than the result and also the fitness is the most important thing.
DK: Overall, and we'll focus on the lads that are confirmed and announced first, everyone did really well really.
TR: Yes, I think ultimately we know we need to be a little bit stronger. We're still hoping we've got a couple more to come in, so come the start of the season, I think we'll be hopefully where we want to be obviously, but squad-wise we need to be a little bit stronger than last season. Even though we won the league, obviously we've gone up a league, so we need to aim to be a little bit stronger. We're hoping to be a little bit stronger and I think at the moment the three that we brought in, along with the 15 obviously that have stayed up, I think does make us a little bit stronger, but I'm hoping we get a couple more. Hopefully those two are imminent and then we'll see where we're at after that.
DK: Promising times, I would say, with that sort of performance against a team who like ourselves went up as well.
TR: Yes, they've gone up. They're a good side, aren't they? Angelo and John and Michael have done a really good job. I watched the final, I'm sure most people have been around this area, but I watched the final and thought they were brilliant. They've done a really good job and they're clearly aiming to go into the National League and do well as well with the recruitment that they've done so far. I think they're going to be really strong. I think they'll have a good season and I really hope they do have a good season as well. We knew it was going to be a tough game. You can't really focus on the other team in pre-season. You play teams that are at different levels than you are and you've just got to concentrate and focus on what you're doing. The subs that you need to make, the minutes that you want players to get and you just have to focus on that. Like I said, the result becomes secondary. Like I said, I never like losing games but they're a good side so I've got no issue with that at all. In the first half, I thought we were very competitive and I thought the second half was tougher and I think the changes didn't help us. Like I said, I also thought they were potentially a little bit stronger in the second half as well. Yes, that's really it, I think. I think we had Dan with that brilliant volley first half and then the other real standouts from our point of view were Marcus and Danny making some brilliant saves. Yes, Seth had a really good chance as well, didn't he, where he headed it back to where the keeper was. But yes, Marco made a couple of good saves. Like I said, if you look at the first half, I think the first half was really positive. I thought we moved the ball well. I thought we played in parts pretty good, really, to be honest and I thought we played at a good tempo so I was pleased with that. Created a couple of chances, Marco made a few good saves and then like I said, the second half was definitely tougher. It was harder to pick as many positives out. There were a couple still but it was definitely tougher to pick positives out of the second half and like I said, some of that is because of the changes. The players are still getting used to but I think whenever you're bringing off Keiran, Tommy, Marco, experienced players that understand how we want to play, even Seth, do
you know what I mean? You're taking out a core of last year's starting team, Jacob, so Ingers, do you know what I mean? The list goes on so it makes that half tougher. I felt a little bit sorry for some of the lads that come on because it makes it tougher for them as well and like I said, they were definitely a little bit stronger but like I said, there were definitely positives in the first half.
DK: Arguably, when you look at our schedule, when you look at the levels of the teams that we're playing at, tonight was our toughest test of pre-season and we were really competitive even when, like you said, the second half was under the cosh and to be honest, a draw would have been fair.
TR: Yes, and that's where it goes back to. I've had pre-seasons where I've won every game and we've not necessarily done that well in the season. I've had pre-seasons where we've been terrible in pre-season and then at the start of the season, it just clicks. Look at last season. I mean, we won every pre-season game, didn't we? And then lost the first game of the season 6-1 and then went on to win the league. Yes, look, I over analyse everything so like I will every game. I'll strip it back and think about everything but ultimately, what we need to see every game is progression with players' fitness and progression with patterns and what we're trying to do and et cetera, et cetera. Obviously, we haven't worked on any shape so far. Saturday will be the first time we work on shape obviously when we do the open session so that will be good. We do need to do that definitely, especially for the new lads and hopefully the performances will get better as the fitness gets better but like I said, tonight wasn't too bad. As a starting point, I'm relatively happy. I don't think I'd ever say I'm happy because I'm not that type of person but I'm relatively happy and I definitely think there were positives especially from players that have been here for an amount of time. For the new players, obviously, they're still getting used to us. For me personally, I think some people take that as a negative (being more direct). I don't. I take that as a positive. One of the biggest things and I think since Kev's come into the club, I think as a team, we can almost outplay anyone footballing-wise. I think before last season, we were a little bit naive where teams pressed us and then we would carry on playing and we'd just get pressed and we'd lose the ball in dangerous areas and we didn't really understand how to play out either out of that press or to maybe play a different way to stop the other team pressing. I think that's something we've learned. I think that contributed to us last season being so much more effective and harder to play against and ultimately having a really successful season. So, yes, I think the players understand when to play, where to play and how to play outside of a press. So, yes, I take that as a compliment. I just think that's what we do now. I think we can play on the deck and we can also go more direct and I think we can do both of them pretty well now whereas before, I think when we were pressed, especially two seasons ago, when we were pressed, we didn't really know what to do when we were pressed and then when we went longer, we didn't really understand how to then play in those areas whether it is to play into areas, win second balls or whatever. We didn't understand how to do that. So, I think for me personally, that's kind of how the team's adapted and evolved over the last four seasons, five seasons, however long it is now. Kev's been here four years, he's been here, hasn't he? So, however many seasons that is.
DK: It's going to be exciting Saturday because I know non-league players and fans mix and
talk quite often, especially here anyway. But it gives that extra opportunity for after
training for supporters to really mingle with the players.
TR: Yeah, Kate and Dave suggested it and I think it's a good idea. So, I'd always embrace that sort of thing. Like I said, it's good for the players because it allows us to train on the pitch, work on shape, etc. So, that's really important. And then like you said, on top of that, we're a club, we're hopefully all in it together. So, whether it's the ladies' team, the youth teams, whatever, it's massively important that as a club we're all swimming in the same direction. So, any type of day like that, I'll always embrace it and I think it's important. And hopefully if there are supporters that want to ask questions or want to speak to the players or management or whatever, they should feel they can do that after any game
anyway. But obviously the whole point of Saturday is that they've got that complete
opportunity to do that if they want to.
DK: Looking ahead to Felixstowe though, it'll be a nice one to have after obviously tonight, more training Saturday. You'll know more of who's signing, as you're saying plans will be more progressing. And it'll just be another interesting test.
TR: Yeah, I mean, it'll be difficult. Felixstowe won't be easy. It'll be a tough game. Obviously you played him in the Premier Cup. It'll still be a tough game. But yeah, me and Kev just spoke about it. Like I said, it's difficult because you want to try and get everyone minutes. And so, yeah, we'll just have to look at that and see how that looks for Tuesday. And again, try and progress from today's game to Tuesday. And then after Tuesday, I'll be progressing into Saturday. Just got to try and make every performance slightly better and come August the 10th, know what the starting team is for August the 10th. But, you know, like I said, we need competition. We've got that. You can see we've got competition now. So we need 16 players ready on August the 10th, not 11. So it's important that we try and get as near to that as we can.
DK: Where was Dylan tonight?
TR: Dylan's away. So Dylan's back after today.
So hopefully he'll be back with us. He'll be back with us after tonight. Hopefully.
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