SILKMEN HAVE THAT WINNING MENTALITY
SO FAR so good – but we know we haven’t done anything yet. We had important back-to-back wins against Aldershot and Tranmere but win, lose or draw we keep our feet on the ground. Aldershot went down to ten men early, yet they caused us a lot of problems, possession-wise, so nothing is ever plan sailing. Similarly at Tranmere. The first 20 minutes we were under a lot of pressure and they probably edged the first half, but we went in 1-0. We always hang on in there – they levelled in the second half and we didn’t let it affect us before we scored three goals in quick succession. Togetherness is a big part of our success. The game before Aldershot we were 1-0 down to Guiseley, we didn’t panic, stuck to what we were doing and got the victory. The squad has a good mix of experience and youth. Our midfielder Danny Whitaker epitomises what the club and the manager are about. I’m 36 and he’s a year older – he’s my driving force and keeping me young! If he can keep going then so can I. Whits is the fittest 37-year-old I’ve ever seen. He scored a couple against Tranmere and a penalty at Aldershot. Players like him are worth their weight in gold. We’ve got some really good professionals who set a good example for the young lads, who probably all feel they’ve got something to prove. You want to play in the Football League, it’s as simple as that. They’re good enough to do it. Last season we had a few players who got moves and that may or may not come around for one or two. But for the vast majority the best chance is to get promoted at a club moving forward in the right direction. The manager is obviously a big part of that. He knows the club inside out and he’s assembled a good squad. Fingers crossed we can repay him by getting promoted. First and foremost, he’s a decent bloke and the lads respect that. We play for him and we play for each other.