NGALO’S GOT A GOOD THING WITH TERRAS
JORDAN NGALO says Weymouth is the perfect place to learn his craft.
The 20-year-old is helping the Terras get off to a promising start in the National League South following their Southern League Premier Division title win last season.
Mark Molesley’s side were unbeaten in their opening five games of the season with three wins and two draws.
Youngster Ngalo is enjoying life on the southcoast and says they are relishing the new challenge.
“In terms of technically and physically you have to improve because it’s a step up and you expect those players in a league above to have that,” Ngalo told The NLP.
“I’ve had to work on that over the summer to get to a level I’m pleased with. At the moment, I feel good and don’t feel out of place at all.
“We all have confidence in each other. We know the quality we possess and it’s about getting it out of each other every week and being consistent.
“We obviously won the league last season so we were upbeat for the new season. We’re in a confident mood where we just want to play and test ourselves against the best at this level.”
Ngalo has been finding his feet in a new position this season having been shifted out wide left – and he’s leaning on the experienced players around him for advice.
“It’s really good,” Ngalo said. “For the two seasons I’ve been at Weymouth it’s nice to have them around. They’ve been at higher levels.
“Josh McQuoid, Baggie and others who have played at higher standards so if you get the chance to learn or pinch something from them, it’s good. They try to give as much advice as they can to help me develop and get as far as I possibly can.
“I’ve changed position this year so I’m learning it. Baggie has played that position for a while so I can always go to him and ask how I can get better or how can I receive the ball more.
“The manager has played higher as well. He’s a good coach and he makes sure we are prepared – no one is in a grey zone, we all know what is going on. He’s been a big help for me since I’ve been at Weymouth. I’ve improved as a player and a person – it’s credit to the manager.”
Ngalo has come up through Non-League as opposed to the professional academy system. He also played for England Schoolboys – where he was part of a team that won the Centenary Shield.
His first break in men’s football came at Blackfield & Langley where he says he quickly came to understand the gulf in what was needed compared to youth football.
His form at Blackfield led to stepping up to Weymouth.
And he believes being part of a title-winning campaign will prove big for his development. “I felt I had to mature as quickly as I possibly could,” he said. “You want to enjoy it but you also want to do your job for the team. You get that motivation from the team because we all wanted to do well and we all wanted to win the league so we could go higher.
“I wanted to be part of a team that made some history and we had that within ourselves to do it. I’m glad we did. The team came through ups and downs – there were times when we were low or chasing teams down, and there were times when we were being chased. It was a good learning curve.”