Gervin’s handed Bacup armband
AFTER the recent departure of the Bacup Borough captain, Laquan Esdaille, due to personal circumstances, it was important that the manager Brent Peters found a suitable replacement to take on the responsibilities.
Discussions took place between Peters and his head coach, David Felgate and they both decided that the experienced Michael Gervin would be the clubs team captain for the 2020/21 season.
Gervin was the vice-captain last season to Esdaille and played a fundamental role in encouraging the younger players within the squad. And after watching Borough for a large proportion of last season it’s easy to see why Peters and Felgate would opt for Michael Gervin as their new captain.
Speaking about the new appointment, the Borough manager said: “The position of captain at
Bacup Borough Football Club is such a credible and important position. It is a position I think long and hard about before
selecting my choice, the person in question must have excellent leadership qualities, and be a player that the other players will look up too and respect. Equally be a quality footballer and lead by example on the pitch, I am glad to say that Michael Gervin possesses all of these attributes.”
Last season Peters had a very inexperienced squad to select from with many of the players coming into the semi-professional game from the local amateur leagues. The presence of Esdaille, Gareth Wager and Gervin was enough to guide the young players through difficult battles that you encounter every week in the North West Counties League, and that guidance will definitely be needed yet again.
The announcement was made at training last week and the response from the players was that they were in total agreement with their manager, which shows the amount of respect they have for Gervin.
The new captain said: “I am a different kind of person to Laquan.
“The communication both on and off the pitch will be slightly different, but the expectations will remain the same.
“I will be there with words of encouragement when you need them. We all need to stand up and be counted and that means take responsibility and ownership once we cross the white line.”
The Borough manager concluded: “I am delighted that when the position was presented to Gervin he gratefully accepted the role.
“Being the club captain is a special position within any team.
“Gervin is a respected and talented player who has given me excellent loyalty during his time at Bacup Borough Football Club. Giving him the armband was a nobrainer for me.”