Simon Weaver

THE GAFFER SIMON WEAVER

ABoxing Day match is always one which stands out when the fixtures are released all those months ago and we are all really looking forward to what promises to be a great match up against Grimsby.

Firstly, I hope you and your loved ones had a fantastic Christmas and enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with those closest to you.

For us, we were disappointed that we have been unable to get back out there after a fantastic performance and result against Rochdale, however, player and supporter safety must come first.

Today is our first of three matches in the next seven days and we know we will have to be in peak physical condition to deal with those demands. While we may not have played, we have been training the lads hard to make sure that they do not lose any of their fitness due to a lack of matches. These games can prove to be very important in a campaign. We have a Yorkshire derby coming up and we want to go in to that match with a buzz about the place. The only way to do that is to get another victory on the board.

To achieve that we need to go out and play on the front foot and be attack minded but also be ruthless in our own box to keep the back door shut. We have watched a lot of video on Grimsby and we understand the qualities they possess. I know their manager Paul Hurst very well having been the last manager that I ever played under. He will insist on his team playing with energy and asserting themselves physically. He is an intelligent person who is well aware of what characteristics the fans of the club want and need to see. Grimsby have immense support and we will have to manage that volume of noise from the away support in the best way we can, by keeping calm and composed and not getting too emotional and losing discipline. With the match being at our home ground we want to make that advantage count and put on a performance for you to cheer about.

As we have two matches remaining in 2022, we want to enter the New Year high in confidence and looking up the table. However, to be in a position to do that, we have to consistently reach the level of performance that we showed at Rochdale. The talent we have throughout our squad stepped up in that match, and with a busy schedule to come, we need that strength in depth for the second half of the season. Undoubtedly we didn’t have that back up strength last season and full credit must go to the Board who have ensured we have been equipped to cope with such drastic injuries throughout this season. At Rochdale we went behind but we showed the character and resilience to bounce back, create some great opportunities and got our rewards from that.

The full week of training has helped us to get some of the injured lads back involved and bolster the options we have available to us. Both Jack Muldoon and Alex Pattison have recovered from their knocks and have looked sharp in training. We also have Max Wright who has re-joined the group. Max is a player who was fantastic for us during the summer and we were really excited to add him to the squad. However, he was unfortunate that he picked up a long term injury which ruled him out of action for some time, so it’s great to see him back and have a player of his quality at our disposal. His energy and personality has really lifted the group.

Happy New Year when it comes! Simon