Schemer Smith is champing at the bit
HAYES & YEADING
CHRISTIAN Smith is looking up, not down, with Hayes & Yeading United this season.
The 27-year-old is preparing for his first full season at the club, having joined from Chelmsford City in February.
Smith, an energetic midfielder, did not enjoy the most comfortable of starts to life at the club as they battled to avoid relegation from the Conference South.
But having come through some tough tests under Tristan Lewis, United beat the drop to keep them in the division for the 2015-16 campaign.
Smith is desperate to avoid another basement battle this time round and is confident Hayes & Yeading can make great strides this term.
“Performance-wise, compared to last season, we’re a lot better,” he said. “We still have a few weeks to go and we’ve got a lot to work on but I’m sure we’ll be okay.”
The former Cambridge City and Wrexham man was brought in to bring some much-needed craft and creativity to the side.
The Crewe-born schemer believes the side can be more of a threat offensively this season despite the conservative approach his manager favours.
“We have lots of ability going forward,” Smith explained. “There’s no reason why we can’t push on to mid-table and even higher.”
Smith played a key role in securing the club’s survival in 2014-15 and Lewis made keeping hold of him one of his top priorities.
He was one of the first of last season’s squad to sign up for another crack at the league again and hopes to repay Lewis’s faith with his performances on the pitch.
“Tris [ Lewis] is great and it’s great to have his trust,” he added. “But obviously with trust you have to perform as well.
“So if you don’t perform, you can’t really question his decisions. Going forward, though, I had no questions with regards to signing on.”