Duo excited for the season
Walthamstow enjoyed victory in their first pre-season friendly as they beat Harpenden Town 2-1 at Wadham Lodge, last Saturday. WIth the squad back in training this week, they looked forward to a trip to Bearstead Saturday. We caught up with Jason Beck and captain Reece Conway on Thursday evening.
“It’s going to be another tough game,” said Beck. “It’s only our second game since we had 4-5 months away from the game so everyone is in the same boat in that respect.”
“Travelling too is great for preparing for the season,” added Conway. “We don’t know who’ll draw in the cups so getting used to travelling will do us some good.”
Manager Max Mitchell has built a strong side as the club look to challenge for the Essex Senior League next season, but before they can think about the new season, they have a packed pre-season schedule to contend with.
“I want to win all the games. For me, it’s a habit. Even during training, we want to win” said Conway. “The tougher the games, the better. Both the season and cup games are going to be tough and get tougher, the further you go into those competitions so the harder the test, the better.
“Any team is beatable. They’ll have trialists and we’ll have a mixture of the boys out so, on top of fitness, there is no doubt, we can beat any team” explained Beck.
Beck was one of the players that committed to Walthamstow for another year under the management of Mitchell. “There were no second thoughts. I really enjoyed myself from the moment I joined and it’s a proper club. We have a great chairman and an excellent management team which is exactly what a player would want”
With the provisional date of September for the start of the 2020/21 season, there was no doubt the boys were excited. With a possibility of an FA Cup tie for the opening game, Stow could immediately go into a big game. “I think it will be down to us senior players to get the boys ready for the season opener. Whether it is the league or FA Cup, it will be a huge game for the club and for us, as players, to say we are playing in the FA Cup is great. Our main objective is to win the league so that will be as important as the early rounds of the cup” said Reece Conway.
“I’d expect it to be competitive from the very start” added Beck. “I expect the same three to be challenging for the title again so it will go right down to the wire.”
The club would have expected fans to attend these pre-season games, but with the government guidelines, it could be a while until we see the supporters filling the terraces. There was no doubt that the players missed the sounds of the supporters pushing them on.
Conway finished by saying “Right from the off, this is a club where you feel welcomed and loved. That simply comes from the fan base at the club. Hopefully, they will be back for the first game and we hope to give them a lot to cheer about when they do. We play football at this level for the fans and the club is moving in the right direction, which is very obvious this year.”
