Ahead of this weekend’s opening games in the Thurlow Nunn Premier Division, West Norfolk sports editor Greg Plummer caught up with Fakenham Town manager Andy Cunningham for his thoughts in a special Q and A.
The Ghosts host Stowmarket Town tomorrow before travelling to Heacham on Tuesday night.
How would you reflect on your pre-season and what has pleased you the most?
Overall pre-season has been good. Intensity levels have been high, with players pushing each other throughout each session.
We had some players come back in earlier than planned, which has enabled them to get in good condition, and demonstrates there is a will to do well this season.
We would have liked one more pre-season game as we had one cancelled that we couldn’t fill at short notice, but we have had good tests against King’s Lynn and Gorleston, which were really beneficial.
The new players have gelled well which is always important.
I know when we did a piece about your summer signings, you said the aim to reach the play-offs was a minimum. Are you confident you can achieve this, or better, from what you’ve seen over the summer?
I’m confident that if we are at our best, we are in a good place to achieve our targets this season.
We know this season will be more difficult than last season, as the landscape changes from season to season locally.
We just need to continue to focus on ourselves and I’m confident we will be really competitive.
How determined is the club to go a step further and gain promotion this season?
We are focusing on being as good as we can be on the pitch and continuing to get things right off the pitch so we can continue to grow sustainably.
Naturally, everyone wants to go one step further than last season, but it’s not a given and that will have to be earned.
I can see the players are keen to go one step further than last season, but last season is gone, and we need to refocus.
This coming season will bring different challenges.
We have great support of the pitch, with everyone working hard towards the goal of improving the club overall, which demonstrates the desire to continue to strive to be the best we can.
You’ve got a great blend of youth and experience in the squad with players like Jake Watts, Lewis Sturman and Luke Pearson in your ranks. What qualities do these three alone bring to the squad?
Every player in the squad has a part to play this season, but like every good team, you have to have good experience down the spine, and these three players bring that.
Each has plenty of experience at this level and leads by example on and off the pitch.
Naturally, they all bring different strengths to the group, but they are certainly players that the group look up to, and if all perform well this season, we stand a good chance of doing well.
Sturmo, Wattsy and Pearson do a great job of holding people accountable to high standards, and lead by example, their influence on the younger players is invaluable and they all embody the values and behaviours we feel are important for success.
What other players have impressed you over the summer and why?
To be honest, I have been impressed with the whole group over the summer. There is a real competitive edge and you can see that it is making them all stronger.
I know a lot about most of the players that have been here for some time, but they have stepped up and their desire to work hard has really impressed me, as an example Sturmo, Bonner and others barely had a break and wanted to do sessions in early June to get themselves in good a good place, and they have continued to apply themselves throughout.
It’s difficult to pick individuals out, but the levels that Joe Henman and Ethan Flack have been working at have really impressed me, and the knock-on effect has been great, meaning the whole group have realised their levels.
How much would you say the squad has improved since the last time you were at the helm?
Although largely the group is the same, you can see the confidence from last season has given them the belief that they can be successful; that is probably the one key difference.
Last season’s momentum has galvanised the squad and that will go a long way to making us more resolute this season.
The quality of the players has always been high. I think the difference now is that the mindset has changed, and the players understand that the more they put in, the better chance they have of being successful, and this is something we have added during pre-season.
You recently rewarded Dylan Coslett with a two-year contract. What are his qualities and what message does this give to any youngsters aspiring to play this level of football?
I had seen Dylan playing quite a bit for his college side last season and a few games towards the end of last season, but it’s not until you work with him closely that you get to understand the qualities he possesses.
He is an athletic, aggressive, front-footed player.
His age doesn’t work against him, nothing seems to phase him, and his confidence in his own ability allows him to hold his own with the senior players, which is a great quality to have.
Dylan also has a great left foot and the physical capability to cover the ground well.
We are pleased to have secured his services and the contract is a reward for his levels last season, but he has the task of trying to improve on last season and developing in the areas he needs to, which I’m more than confident he will, when he recovers from the unfortunate wrist injury he sustained against Gorleston.
We have a great record in developing players through our player pathway, which is kudos to all involved, but inevitably, some players outgrow the level and move on, so getting players on contracts enables us to protect the club’s interests at the same time as rewarding and giving security to the players.
Young players being on contracts demonstrates the confidence and faith we have in these players and that we trust them to play and develop in a competitive environment, and we will continue to do this with others in the group.
What are your thoughts on your opening couple of games of the season?
The start of the season is always tough, as at our level there is always a degree of unavailability and you are never sure where the opposition are in terms of there levels or tactically, but with a decent pre-season behind us we will just focus on ourselves, respect our opponents, but we will do everything we can to start the season positively.
We know the opening few games will be really tough, but the players are ready to get going, so we are looking forward to it.
Which clubs do you expect to be your main rivals this season?
It’s always tough to guess who will be up there, but seeing how teams have recruited and how every team will want to improve on last season.
I would expect Mulbarton, Thetford, Dereham, Ipswich W and Walsham will all be in the mix.
Haverhill Rovers and Soham Town have recruited well, so are teams to respect also, but as we saw last season, you never can guess how things will end up.
Last season showed that anyone can beat anyone on their day, and I’m sure things won’t be much different this season.
