Interview with Craig Laird
23 Feb 2012

After four defeats in a row, Weston-Super-Mare go in search of three valuable points with an away trip to Sutton United this Saturday. This will be the third away game the club has had with long trips to Tonbridge and Chelmsford in the space of three days. With this in mind Craig Laird believes this has had an impact on the recent results, “of course all this travelling has impacted on us it’s hard to expect players to travel these long distances and be able to go out and play to the high standards that we have set ourselves”. Despite these results though Laird is of the opinion that there is no lack of confidence in his dressing room “They know they haven’t had the luck that we had in the previous months of the season but the players play 100% each week they go out there and give their best, and they know there will be days where it just doesn’t go the way we want”.

With the club still looking like it will improve on last season, Laird has expressed how delighted he is with the progress of the club claiming they are ahead of schedule and that they still haven’t given up hope of a play-off spot in this seasons Blue Square Bet South. “Until it’s mathematically impossible we believe we can get the play-off spot, but this is another year of learning this is only the second season that these players have been together and to have achieved what they have is fantastic”.

Laird is also of the opinion that the pressure is now on the other teams and his team can now play with freedom as all the hype surrounding there good start to the New Year has now died down and this could give them another chance of sneaking up and grabbing a play-off spot come the end of the season.

With the season now into its final 13 games, Craig Laird has now started planning for next season looking at potential signings, but he insists the club will not be spending big money in order to bring success and why would he when the club has been constantly performing above expectations instead he will be looking at the under 19’s where he believes there are five or six players that in the next few years will be ready to make the step up to Blue Square South football. But Laird has also indicated that there could be a couple of additions from outside the club over the summer.

And with planning under way for next season Craig Laird believes with his current squad and possible additions, that this squad could go on and make the step up to the play offs or even win the Blue Square Bet South league next season. This is the confidence that the manager has not only in his ability as a manager, but also in his playing squad he is assembling and also the back room staff.