MORRIS AIMS TO BE A GOOD SPORT
ALEX MORRIS is hoping to carry on the same ‘Mr. Consistency’ tag at Mickleover Sports that served him so well at old club Kidsgrove Athletic.
Left-back Morris starred in 41 of the 42 games Kidsgrove played last season – the only game he missed was a fixture against Colne FC in the FA Trophy, which had been re-arranged to a Monday night when he was on holiday.
Now, after stepping up a level to swap the blue of Kidsgrove for the red of NPL Premier Sports, Morris is hoping to become just as key to new boss John McGrath, who has already described him as “a natural born leader and winner”.
Morris told The NLP: “It’s my first target every single season to play in every competitive game I could and I pretty much did that in two seasons at Kidsgrove.
“It’s something I take pride in being there available every week and being at every training session. It’s my number one priority to be there for the team.
“Going into a league above with Mickleover, it’s going to be a challenge and, I feel like if I can stay in the team for the whole season, then that will be a definite success for me.
“I’m an ambitious footballer and I want to play as high up the divisions as possible.”
Morris was a big fans’ favourite at Kidsgrove but says now was the right moment to make the switch.
“I thought it was the right time in my career to try and challenge myself in the league above,” he added.
“It wasn’t an easy decision at all and I feel like Kidsgrove will go in the right direction under the new management team.
“It was an opportunity I wanted to take and give it my best shot. Mickleover are a good club that are set up to go forward and, the manager John McGrath is going to assemble a good squad despite the troubles most clubs are facing off the pitch.”
Morris will be joined at Station Road by fellow defender James Butler, who made the same 40-mile trip up the A50.
Butler enjoyed two spells on loan at Kidsgrove in 2018/19 before making the move permanent following his release by Championship club Stoke City.
And Morris is delighted to have a friendly face to turn to when McGrath’s men return to pre-season training in the coming weeks.
“It’s always nice to have a face you recognise that goes with you to the first few training sessions to help you ease in a bit,” he concluded.
“But it’s part and parcel of football going to a new environment and making new friendships in a team.
“James is someone I’ve played with for the last two and-a-half years now and, he is a top player and a good lad, so I’m happy that Mickleover have decided to sign a good young centre half as well.”