ROVER THE MOON AT CHRISTMAS
HIGH-SPIRITED Marcus Bowers is full of Christmas cheer this year – he’s even let his Great Wakering Rovers side train in fancy dress!
The Essex Senior League promotion chasers were given free rein to don Christmas jumpers, Santa hats and Elf outfits as they were put through their paces, much to the amusement of neighbours and passers-by.
The festive frolics are the brainchild of boss Bowers, who is helping to keep spirits high at Burroughs Park, while rewarding his Rovers side for an impressive first half of the season.
“It was something we did when I was at Basildon – it really helps to keep spirits high at this time of year,” Bowers told The NLP. really well recently and I just felt they deserved a nice, fun session to let their hair down a bit ahead of a busy Christmas period.
“Having good camaraderie and togetherness is the most important thing when it comes to managing a group of players and we’ve certainly got that here. We’re lucky to have a great bunch of lads.
“We are not just a football team, we are friends on and off the field and that makes a big difference to performances. It can often help win you a game you don’t deserve to.”
Bowers’ Rovers are very much in the hunt for promotion back to Step 4 and have also set their sights on an FA Vase run with a trip to Whitchurch Alport to come next month in the last 32.
“Promotion was our aim from the start and these last few weeks have given us hope,” Bowers added.
“We’ve got a few points to make up but we’ve got games in hand so we feel that we are still in the mix.
“Thankfully, our players don’t miss training too much so, as it’s Christmas, we decided to only have the one session this week – and make it a fun one. They deserve that. Give players a little bit then they generally give you a lot back.”