Matchday Programme: Issue 1 vs Hemsworth Miners Welfare Michael Richardson Q&A

The talented attacking midfielder is heading into his third season with the Hornets. A fans’ favourite, in this interview Magic Michael talks about his love for the FA Cup, hoping to make dreams come true in the Vase, and the strangest preseason of his football career.

Q: After what I am guessing was the longest preseason you have experienced in your football career, how keen are you to get going again tonight?

MR: It has been a strange time for everyone in football at all levels. Having a season end early and not knowing when it was all going to start back up is something that we have never experienced before. Now we have some dates we are all looking forward to getting back out on the pitch and playing some football again.

Q: Preseason results could not have been much better, going unbeaten with five wins out of six including facing some higher league opposition. But can you really draw too many conclusions from those results?

MR: Preseason is used for many different things and every team does it differently. When you’re looking at what you aim to get out of those games, results are probably bottom of the list of importance. But at the same time whenever you play teams from leagues above your own, you know it will be a tough game no matter what side they put out. So we are happy with the way we competed in those games first and foremost. Don’t get me wrong, it was nice to get positive results, but it means nothing at this stage. It’s all about making sure we are improving in our style of play both in and out of possession.

Q: How big of a blow was it when last season ended prematurely? Especially considering how well the team were doing to put the club within the hunt for promotion and in the semi-final of the FA Vase.

MR: The season stopped when we felt that we had started to click really well as a group. It was gutting that the season had to end that way but obviously there were bigger problems in the world which made football relatively unimportant. We’re all raring to go and we will be aiming to start the season flying.

Q: The FA have made the decision to complete last season’s Vase with us in semi-final action away to Corinthian at the weekend. How pleased were the lads to hear that their incredible work in the competition was not going to come to nothing?

MR: The Vase has been on everyone’s minds for months because it’s such a big thing for non-league clubs around the country. We were so close and to have what could be a once in a lifetime opportunity for most of the players and the fans to get to Wembley possibly taken away from us was a heart-breaking thought. We have a massive game next week. It’s a tough away day but the group are excited to go there and get the job done and give the town of Hebburn a day out to look forward to.

Q: Back to tonight’s FA Cup encounter, what would a little bit of a run in the famous old competition mean to you and the lads?

MR: The FA Cup is a massive competition. It’s a privilege to play even a small part in it. To get through these early rounds and earn the club a little bit of prize money would be brilliant. The players want to play against the best teams possible and the further you go, the more chance you have of coming out the draw against a big team.

Q: And if we get past Hemsworth we have another home draw against the team that knocked us out last season, Pontefract Collieries. Would you be relishing the chance for revenge against the step four side?

MR: For these rounds it doesn’t matter who we play as long as we get positive results. We got beat off Pontefract last season in the replay at home after being the better team in the first tie at their place. It was a match we felt we should have won down in Pontefract as the performance was good enough. So if we get through it should be a good game again at our place and we will looking forward to it if we manage to do the business against Hemsworth.

Q: We have retained most of the squad that ended last season and made a few notable additions. Do you think the squad is in a good place to improve upon how we were doing last season before it got called off?

MR: The club has done well to keep hold of most of the squad from last season as that is important to have a group of players who have already gelled to give you the best chance of hitting the ground running. On top of that, the club have made a few great additions in getting hold of players with bags of experience in Amar and Damo who some of our team have played with at other clubs. That is important as it means we know they will fit straight into the set-up here. Both have played higher up for most of their careers so it’s clear the talent they have. The team is looking strong and competitive in all positions with a mix of older experienced heads and younger lads. So it could be an exciting season ahead and we can’t wait to get going.