Stratford Town players held private meeting to "stop excuses", says captain Will Grocott
CAPTAIN Will Grocott revealed the Stratford Town players had recently held a private meeting so the group could “stop making excuses and get on with it”.
The 31-year-old midfielder told the Herald that the get-together was a chance for everyone to share their opinions on what’s been going wrong and what needs to be done to get the Bards, who currently sit in 20th, out of the Southern Premier Central drop zone.
Grocott said that it was refreshing to see the younger members of the group opening up and sharing their thoughts on what has been a difficult season so far, and not just the experienced heads.
While the fan-favourite admitted the meeting “probably should have happened earlier”, he feels the group are reaping the benefits of it as they claimed a crucial 2-0 victory over bottom-of-the-table AFC Rushden & Diamonds in a classic relegation six-pointer on Saturday.
“The meeting was something I had been thinking about for a little while,” said Grocott.
“It was a chance for us to stop all the excuses and just get on with it, and I think we showed that on Saturday.
“The meeting was an opportunity for all the players to put everything on the table, see where we were at as a group and share any opinions we had.
“There were some really good points raised at the meeting from not just the experienced heads, but the youngsters too, and everyone agreed with what we need to do going forward and how our mindset should be.
“It was all very positive and I think it’s already making a difference. In all honesty, we probably should have had the meeting earlier.”
The win over AFC Rushden & Diamonds was a first on the road for the Bards, who brought an end to a run of five consecutive defeats.
Reflecting on just how important those three points were going into this Saturday’s home game against Ilkeston Town (3pm kick-off), Grocott told the Herald: “Nobody said it after the game but I knew everyone was thinking that had we not won on Saturday it meant we were facing a huge task of trying to save ourselves from relegation. It was a huge win but I think even that’s an understatement.
“To a man we were excellent and it’s given us a massive lift.”
He added: “We know there is plenty of ability in the dressing room and everyone believes in each other but for various reasons things have not been going well for us.
“The meeting between the players was a good chance to get everything off our chests and hopefully we can bring that positive mindset into every game between now and the end of the season.”
There’s now the clichéd 18 cup finals left for the Bards in their fight to avoid the drop and Grocott says the team are “not scared” of playing anyone.
“It’s been a bit of a strange season to be honest,” he said. “Apart from Tamworth and Leiston, anyone is beating anyone but it’s just not worked out for us for one reason or another.
“There’s enough ability in this group to get out of the position we find ourselves in and we’re not scared of playing anyone. We know what we’ve got to do, there are 18 games remaining and plenty of points to play for.”
