Early work hoping to pay off for Chatham Town
Chatham boss Kevin Hake remains hopeful that his early work will pay off after successfully assembling much of his squad ahead of their pre-season schedule.
“We did our business really early, both with people going out the door and people coming in the door, and that has given us that little bit of familiarity.”
He continued, “We have been bitten in previous years where if you leave it too late, it is never a good thing. I am pleased we have done it early, and we can get that familiarity around the dressing room.”
“We’ve got some youngsters involved as well, and some of them will be looking to go out on loan.”
“The cut-off we have in our heads is July 25 where we will start to really refine the team and getting it to less numbers.”
“You can’t read too much into pre-season; it is all about getting the minutes into the legs. The guys are getting there, and we haven’t picked up any injuries. I am really pleased with how it’s going.”
Hake hasn’t ruled out any more additions to the 22 he’s already got signed up, stating:
“You never know. You are going to get calls; I get calls every day from people who want trials or it has not worked out at one club. We have a big black book that we can go to, but I like to keep familiarity as much as possible, and the squad is looking good.”
“We’re starting to get bonds and friendships, and that is very important for us. We achieved that last season, and it’s important we get that transition with all the new faces coming in.”
“We have signed on some good people, and hopefully, we can now kick on.”
As the chairman-manager of Chatham, Hake is content to continue with the team after back-to-back promotions. He is not afraid to dream big as he plots a course to the Football League, saying:
“I have a great backroom team here, and why wouldn’t I continue? There’s a chance to go three in a row, which would be unbelievable. It’s only been done nine times in history, so my historian tells me. We will see, and we will have a go!”
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