Club captain Charlie Horlock was keen to speak to supporters to help deal with the difficult times the club is currently experiencing. The supporters told me they must be wondering what the hell is going on after losing 10 games in a row. He says there is no point in denying that it was an unacceptable situation, and that while it started out of the blue, it unfortunately got worse.
Charlie thinks our biggest problem is that we conceded soft goals which really weakened the team. He feels not all the performances were bad (apart from Long Eaton and Berkhamsted) and the opposition team did a good job to beat us. However, a good period of play has been marred by soft goals and a lack of clinical finishing. Injuries definitely played a big role in the poor performance, and the fact that the team was young didn’t help either as they were mentally fragile. However, Charlie insists that this team is still one of the strongest since he came to the club. He probably punched above his weight when they were in the playoff picture early in the season, but I felt he got there on merit.
In the long run, Charlie feels that the players will benefit from this poor result and come out stronger. Players need to think about the good things they accomplished in the match and not dwell on errors that can cause tension between players. Confidence waned and players sometimes took the safe option of passing and retreated headlong. We need to be braver and execute our game plan better. We have to be more relentless with our chances and more solid in preventing soft goals. We need to trust ourselves more and this is something we are currently working on.
Charlie insists the players are a really good group and stick together. They approach every game with a positive attitude and he feels their good character will lead to a positive result. In fact, Charlie believes the whole club is full of good people – players, management, officials, volunteers and supporters – and is impressed by how everyone works together.
During Monday’s training session, the players held their own meeting and Charlie worked with a leadership group of senior players to explain in detail the situation we were in. The team were told not to feel sorry for themselves and said the goal conceded was unacceptable. The right frame of mind needed to be in place and business executives needed to be involved. Charlie said the players accepted the message they were given and rallied together. They have to roll up their sleeves and scrap after each ball.
Charlie said that despite the loss, he would like to thank his supporters for their incredible support in numbers. Our players really want to repay us for the loyalty they have shown us. Charlie also supported coach Mark Burke and his management team. He said Mark was the main reason he remained in Hitchin and was one of the good guys. The players really owe him a debt.
In closing, Charlie strongly believes that we will emerge stronger from this adversity and that our players will learn from it. Everyone is pulling together and there is a real determination to turn things around.
Thank you Charlie for standing with us during this difficult time of our season.
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