A message written by Sheerwater FC first team captain, Danilo Cadete - his programme notes as published in Saturday's match programme against Badshot Lea.
Good afternoon all,
Badshot Lea come into this game in great form, still unbeaten after 8 games and top of the league; thus no doubt it will be yet another tough game.
A club which I have great respect and admiration for, having played there for 4 years, a club where I made some great memories. They have a great set up — from management, players, staff and fans, I look forward to seeing them all again, today.
These sort of games are vital for the development of our team as we look to build and take the club forward. We are well aware that this is not going to be an easy task, as we have seen with recent results. Credit to Herbs for taking on a big responsibility of putting a completely new squad of players together, and for all the staff within the club, doing their best to ensure we continue to have a great set up.
Although results have not quite gone our way in the last few games, we continue to work extremely hard in training and do everything we can to get to know each other on and off the pitch, and build that togetherness.
I believe in what Herbs (Michael Herbert) and the management are trying to do. I have not come across a manager that goes into as much detail as he does, so we are buying into it and doing everything we can to create that chemistry on the pitch and turn performances into good results. Understandably, in football you are judged on your results. Good performances means nothing at any level if you’re not winning games, so with that comes a lot of pressure.
So as a leader of the team, I urge players and everyone associated with the club to bear with us and trust the process.
When I joined Badshot Lea, they were in the lower end of the table so Gav and Fordy were in a similar situation as Herbs. They brought in several new players. In fact it took 3 completely different squads of players, with the only ones left being Mac Ford and I, until it finally clicked. Fast forward to today and if they keep their run going, they are within a chance of winning the league.
On the other hand, you have Farnham, who have invested heavily into the club and brought a lot of good and experienced players at this level with a huge budget. They are, however, nowhere near where they would like to be.
By saying this, I am not in any way creating excuses or asking people to feel sorry for us, but instead to understand that any new team starting from scratch will need to go through a similar transitional process. This is regardless of the talent and ability within that team or management. It is therefore important that we continue to support and believe in 'the process'.
Having said that, we will approach today’s game and every other game with a view to win and with no fear whatsoever. The interesting thing about football is that anyone can beat anyone on their day. Time for the match! Thank you and I hope you enjoy the game and have a safe journey home.
Danilo