Hughes urges fans to get behind United after dominant win
BOSS SAYS POSITIVITY IS NEEDED AT CLUB
BOSS Paul Hughes declared himself “proud” after Hayes & Yeading United kept alive their play-off dreams with a big 5-1 win away at Weston-super-Mare on Saturday.
First half goals from Scott Donnelly (pen) and Manny Duku put United 2-0 up at half-time in the Southern League Premier South clash. The hosts got one back early in the second before Omar Rowe netted a brace, split by a debut goal for new signing Francis Amartey, in a result and performance that pleased Hughes.
He said: “It was an excellent away performance against a very good Weston-super-Mare side who were the ‘in-form’ team coming into the game, having won five of their last six league games. We can be proud of the result and the work ethic of all involved. We really did put a shift in.
“I felt the strength and pace of our front two was a problem for them. Amartey had an excellent debut and linked up very well with Duku. I’m glad they both got on the scoresheet because their work-rate deserved that reward.
“I was also pleased to limit them to very little in front of goal. They’re a good team and do create chances, but they had nothing of note in open play. Our shape was very solid when out of possession and that was simply a result of our work-rate. As soon as we lost the ball we worked hard to shut down and get goalside. That’s a good sign for me because we know we’ll always create chances at the other end of the pitch.”
The hard work is beginning to pay off for Hughes and his management team, but he intimated there was still some negativity which he wants to eradicate.
He added: “The whole process involved in being promoted and rebuilding a team at a new level of football, alongside the club’s challenges in getting all the bits and pieces in place off the field, is a huge task.
“The club needs support and not detractors or gossipers. If we can all pull together then we have a good chance of creating a fantastic football club. If we choose to feed the more negative side of assumptions and judgements then it will only slow the process down.
“It’s a habit to be positive as well as a habit to be negative. Habits can be hard to break, especially if the club has had a recent history of relegation and failure.
“Our last three seasons have been the antithesis of that, but it takes time for old habits to fall away and new habits to form.
“The fans need to live and breathe optimism and positivity just like the players do on the pitch. We go into every game confident we’re going to give the opposition a tough time. Hopefully, the players’ attitude can rub off on everyone else.
“Despite a little wobble in recent weeks, due largely to suspensions and injuries, our results and performances have been over and beyond what we anticipated this season.
“We’re pushing for the play-offs, scoring freely and have had an exceptional cup run. The player recruitment has been excellent and only time allows us to weed out the characters that don’t align with the hard work ethos of the team and management.
“The fans play a huge part in a football club’s progression at this level of the game and they can take responsibility for that if they choose to. They can strengthen the club’s foundations or they can weaken them. It’s always a choice. Right now, the team is performing well and working very hard and we are all very proud of what we’ve achieved. It’s because we’re so passionate about what we do, we’ll always look to raise the bar. We have a set of players who want to help raise that bar and our supporters can assist them by choosing do the same.”
United face a home game against fellow play-off chasers Gosport Borough on Saturday.