Firstly, I want to start by praising the group of players we have at this football club.
Over the last month or so, we have picked up 12 points from a possible 15, which is fantastic form, and every bit of credit for that has to land at the door of the players and the togetherness they have shown.
There is a real belief and connection within the group, and I think that is something that has been evident both on the pitch and around the football club.
INJURY UPDATE
I wanted to give everyone an update on the injuries we currently have within the squad.
Tom Dickens:
Tom is our only long-term injury at the moment, and I feel for him wholeheartedly.
Tom is someone I have so much respect and admiration for and was one of the key players I wanted to bring back from last season. We are completely behind Tom and fully supportive of his recovery.
We still believe he is a few months away from returning, but there are positives there to see. Tom is being the ultimate professional, as he always is, and is doing everything in his power to recover properly and return as safely and healthily as possible.
Jahmari Lindsay:
I have to say I think “Jamma” has been excellent for us, particularly given his lack of senior football before joining us and the injury history he has unfortunately experienced.
At the moment, Jahmari’s situation is more precautionary. We are working on getting him back to the strength levels we feel he needs to be at, particularly with his hamstrings, to give both him and us the best possible opportunity for continuity.
Jamma has been improving well, which is really positive.
Ross Crane:
“Cranes” scored a fabulous individual goal away at Hebburn and, in doing so, tweaked a muscle.
The great news is that he is now around 95% of the way through his recovery, so we are really pleased with his progress.
Rhys Doherty:
Rhys, alongside Cranes, is also around 95% of the way through his full recovery, and we expect him to be back with the group sooner rather than later.
For clarity, and providing everything continues to progress as expected, we are hopeful of having a full bill of health heading into our home game against Buxton on 10th October.
8:56 — MEN’S MENTAL HEALTH
Last week we welcomed our shirt sponsors, 8:56, and the brilliant team behind the charity to the football club.
They came in to speak with the players and give us some information and signposts around the statistics surrounding men’s mental health.
Some of the numbers are absolutely damning and extremely sad.
I want to take this opportunity to simply ask everyone to check in with someone.
A mate. A brother. A sister. A parent. A friend. A family member.
Just have a conversation.
The art of conversation, particularly amongst us men, sometimes seems to be almost forbidden. One of the biggest reasons for that is the belief that admitting we are not okay somehow makes us weak.
It doesn’t.
Life is tough. Life is tough for all of us.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a multi-millionaire or struggling from month to month. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a mechanic, a school teacher, a chef or a pipe fitter.
Men’s mental health doesn’t pick and choose.
It’s there for all of us, and it is important that we speak up.
If I could give one final piece of advice, it would be this:
Take a few minutes to Google or YouTube search “Norwich City FC mental health video”.
It is a fantastic video and one I genuinely believe we should all take the time to watch.
And more importantly, check in on someone.
THE PLAYERS & OUR JOURNEY
As I touched on earlier, the players have been fantastic over the past month.
We have completely changed our style of play from last season, and that is not something that happens overnight.
It takes time, effort, detail, repetition and belief.
Given the statistics that back up our campaign so far, alongside the fact we have had around a 90% player turnover and are attempting to make a significant shift in the mentality and identity of the football club, I think there are some real positives to take.
What excites me most is that I don’t think we are anywhere near our ceiling yet.
There is still so much more to come from this group.
We will have difficult moments along the way because that is football, but the players have shown over the last month the togetherness, character and quality that exists within the dressing room.
They are working incredibly hard every day, embracing the demands we put on them and continuing to develop our style and identity.
I have so much belief in this group and I am extremely proud of what we are slowly becoming.
The important thing now is that we continue to work, continue to improve and continue to enjoy the journey together.
There is still plenty of work to do, but there is also plenty to be excited about.
A WEEKEND TO RESET
As I mentioned in my post-match interview after our fantastic 5-0 away victory at Telford United, we made contact with another National League North club about moving one of our Tuesday fixtures to play this weekend.
As everyone has the right to do, that request was declined.
That means we now have a weekend without a game.
In many ways, that gives us a really valuable opportunity.
It allows us to hopefully get everyone back to a full bill of health, get some hard work into the players, but equally give the lads some much-needed rest.
Working under me and my staff can be mentally and physically demanding, so it is important that the players get the opportunity to reset both mind and body.
That will allow us to prepare properly for Buxton.
The month ahead will be another demanding and tough month, and we would love to see you all continue coming along on this journey with us.
We appreciate every bit of support you give us, both home and away.
THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE SCENES
Before I finish, I want to personally thank my brilliant backroom team and the full-time staff at the football club.
Adam Rooney has the perfect balance and personality to work between the manager’s office and the dressing room. His role is hugely important to us.
Shaun Allen, our goalkeeper coach, has been a really positive coach and character since joining us. He has fitted into the group extremely well and is a really important member of my team. The work he does with our goalkeepers is hugely important to us, and I am really pleased with the impact he has already had.
Lewis Holmes and Eva Rawson go above and beyond for the players and the football club as a whole, continuously working to make sure the players have everything they need and are in the best possible physical condition.
Eva has also been supported by the addition of Hope Mepham, our sports therapist, who has already proved a big help to the players with their recovery.
Johnny Alflatt is our bundle of fun and a hugely popular character around the building.
We also can’t forget our full-time staff — Danielle, Lauren and Laura, as well as Jules — who are doing their best to bring the wider football needs closer to the community and keep everything ticking over in the background.
I also want to give a special mention to Conor and Noah, who have taken our media and social media content to another level.
The work they are producing and the way they are showcasing the football club is something they should both be extremely proud of. They are helping give supporters a much greater insight into the players, staff and everything that goes on behind the scenes, and their contribution is hugely valued.
I also want to give a special mention to Julie, our Club Secretary, who I work extremely closely with on a daily basis.
There is a huge amount that goes on behind the scenes to keep a football club running properly, and Julie plays a massive part in that. From contracts and registrations to the many day-to-day administrative matters that come with running a football club, she is someone I rely on heavily and work alongside closely.
A lot of that work understandably goes unseen by supporters, but it is incredibly important to making sure the football side of the club can operate as smoothly as possible. I’m grateful for the support Julie gives me and the work she puts in behind the scenes.
And, of course, we have so many volunteers and helpers who regularly give their time.
From Backie, who works tirelessly on the programme, to Merv and Griggo, who help with the commercial and sponsorship side, and Kev, who works hard to make sure the stadium is as healthy and well looked after as possible.
There are so many others I could mention.
It goes without saying that no football club operates because of one person. It is a collective effort.
Everyone has an important role to play in trying to make this football club better on a regular basis, and I think it is important that we recognise that.
4 FROM 5
Finally, I want to finish with something that I think deserves recognition.
It has been 500+ days since the club last won four of its five league fixtures.
I am sure you will agree that is a huge positive when you look at what this group of players has produced over the last month or so.
The challenge now is to continue that momentum.
We are absolutely not the finished article. We have so much work still to do, so many areas where we can improve and so much more we want to achieve.
But what I can guarantee is that we will continue working, continue improving and continue giving everything we have for this football club.
Thank you for your continued support, home and away.
See you all on 10th October at The Walks for our home game against Buxton FC.
Paul Caddis