Nows the time to toughen up and have a run - O'Brien tells Chats

Friday 30th October 2009

Chatham Town boss Alex O’Brien has issued a challenge to side following their midweek road win at Eastbourne Town, writes Mike Green

Ahead of the weekend trip to Walton and Hersham, O’Brien told kentishfootball.co.uk “We’re back in the pack with this win, but now I want to go on a run; maybe ten games hopefully more, but I’m convinced that this side is good enough to have an unbeaten run – its just down to me to try and get into the players heads so they believe in themselves.”

“Walton and Hersham are a big club to be at our level; they really should be in the Premier. I spent some time there myself, and know the club, but we’ve got to go there and believe that we can win – they are beatable, and we will respect them, but we will got here looking to win,” the Chats boss said. “Thing is that the players have to go out and give their best every week, and Saturday is another good game to win. It’s always good to get one over teams that are immediately around you, and to be fair, I just to prefer to play in games like 6^th vs. 7^th rather than play sides at the bottom of the league. OK in games like tonight here at Eastbourne you do have to roll your sleeves up and grind out a result, but when you play sides around you it can be a better spectacle.”

O’Brien goes into the game without midfielder Michael Scott who is at England Youth trials, whilst defender Ben Payne, who missed the Second half on Wednesday is a doubt with a leg injury. Joint top scorer Brendon Cass is expected to be fit after limping out of Wednesday’s game, whilst his felloe top striker Lee Barnett will continue his comeback from injury with a place on the bench.

The Chats boss has reinforced his squad this week by signing John Wilfort who last weekend quit as assistant manager of Chipstead. “John will come into the equation for the weekend. I know John and he knows what I want – he’ll bring us a presence in the middle of the park. He’s like me – he likes to win football matches, and uses his aggression in the right places. He’s also a good talker which is something that I really believe we are missing at the moment.”

“OK, we-re in the pack but we can go further and higher,” concluded the Chats boss, “we’ve been too nice in some games this season and it has so, so annoyed me – we have been totally naive at time. From now on, that (I hope) is going to change…”

Walton & Hersham vs. Chatham Town
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 31^st October 2009
At Sports Ground, Stompond Lane, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey,
KT12 1HF