Hakan Hayrettin

HAYRETTIN HAKAN

Can I start by saying a big thank you to everyone who was here a fortnight ago and to all those who travelled to Chelmsford last Saturday.

Having you back made a massive difference. For me, football’s been soulless for the past 16 months and it meant the world to have that support with us again. The 12th Man is that classic football cliché but it’s times like the last two Saturdays that it really rings true. It goes without saying that I am very pleased to start the season with two wins. It’s early days, we mustn’t get too carried away but it’s the start we all wanted and hoped for. After the stop-start of pre-season, there were no guarantees as to what would happen but I am delighted with the character the boys have shown and the effort they’ve put in. We’ve got a good bunch here this season and for me that’s important. There’s real unity throughout the side, everyone has got each other’s backs. That unity showed in the last two games, where we’ve gone behind or been pegged back but we’ve kept our heads and won through in the end. Another positive for me is that we’ve still got the likes of Jack Barham and Reece Grant to come back from injury – they would’ve been a shoo-in for a starting place before the season started but the lads who’ve got the shirt are doing all the right things, so Terry and I will have some decisions to make. Let’s be fair, we’d rather have the luxury of that dilemma over scratching around for players. I’d like to welcome Kevin Watson and his team to the Gallagher this afternoon. They’ve had the opposite start to us but it is early days. This league’s a marathon not a sprint and you’d be pretty foolish to write any team off after 180 minutes of football.

We cannot be complacent but I believe in our lads and from everything they’ve shown me in training these past two days, they’re ready and eager to keep this good start going. I’ll sign off by encouraging each and every one of you to come down to the ground on Tuesday for the FA Youth Cup match. Our lads are taking on Dulwich Hamlet, so I’ve no doubt it will be a good game. I would like to wish the players and management the very best and I hope they win through to the next round of this prestigious competition.

Enjoy the game and get behind us, as you always do.