Ferdinand makes step up with Boro FORWARD RELISHING RETURN TO STEP 2 AFTER TRANSFER
NEW signing Liam Ferdinand is excited to have joined the Farnborough bandwagon while returning to Step 2. declaring “I feel a lot more prepared and I’m looking to establish myself at the level”.
The 27-year-old left Met Police to link up with Spencer Day and reckons he may even have stayed put had the Blues beaten Boro to National League South.
As it is, it was Day’s side who made the step up and Ferdinand could not resist the lure of a return to the league he played in with Hungerford Town in the 2018/19 season.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Met Police and had a great time there, but everyone knows we were beaten by Farnborough in the playoffs,” he said.
“When I got to the end of the season I got offers from the league above, one of them being Farnborough, and I was always going to take the opportunity to go back up to Step 2 and test myself again at that level.
“It’s a case of wanting to push on again and about my ambitious side.
“The last full season before Covid, I played at Hungerford. I played a lot of games that particular year. We were struggling as a side. We were down the bottom for the majority of the season and scrapping it out.
“As a striker it was quite tough. You didn’t get many chances and there’s a lot of defensive work and I played in numerous positions that year too. It was a good learning experience but I don’t really think I got to establish myself at that level, so hopefully I can do that next season.”
After previously jumping two levels to play for Hungerford, from Step 4 Bracknell Town, Ferdinand knows the score and added: “I feel well prepared. Last time I jumped to that level I wasn’t really sure what to expect. It was quite a jump. Not that I didn’t cope with it but I wasn’t really prepared for it. Whereas now, a couple of years on, I’m a bit older and I have got experience so going into it I feel much more ready. I am looking forward to getting started.”
Day has obviously seen enough in Ferdinand to want to sign him and the forward added: “We played against them [Boro] four or five times last season. I played against them a lot, scored a few goals against them and had a few decent games against them. I think he [Day] was impressed with my performances. I think he liked the idea of me coming in. I played in the number nine and 10 roles and I think he liked the way I could play both of them well.
“He sees me as a good partner with Mitchell Parker, who I know well as we are both from Reading. I think he feels we can build a good partnership together.”
Ferdinand is joined at Boro by his captain last season, Ollie Robinson, while he also knows Freddie Grant, so he will be among some familiar faces.
“Whenever you go to a new team you’ve always got to earn your spot,” he said. “No matter who you are or where you’ve been, that’s always the case.
“It’s about me making sure I’m in the manager’s plans for that first game of the season. I want to be starting games and helping the team win games and that’s all that’s on my mind.
“I’ll have to get myself in good shape and in the manager’s thoughts and show I can do the business.”
With a star-studded squad being assembled by Day, Ferdinand is excited, adding: “As a player, for myself, I like to go into a winning environment. I don’t think as a team we will be going up to just make up the numbers, but at the same time you have to remain humble and do your work behind the scenes because it’s a tough league.
“It will also be great to play in front of the fans.
“Whenever you have fans getting behind you it can really give you that extra few per cent you need. It will be good and hopefully I can become one of their favourites.”