Firstly, I just want to say a huge thank you for the support you have given us over the last couple of games.
The last couple of results have been really positive, and I have to give enormous credit to the players. They really, really have been outstanding.
They have taken on board the messages that we have been giving them, they have stayed committed to what we are trying to build, and they have gone out and produced two very good results — maximum points from two difficult games.
As I always say, though, whether we win or lose, we have to remain calm.
When we win, we don’t get overexcited, and when we lose, we don’t get massively downbeat. We have to stay level, stay focused and continue to work towards where we want this football club to be.
After a difficult run of games, to come away with maximum points from the last two is something we are really pleased with. But equally, we know there is still a lot of work to do.
There has been a huge amount of change at this football club. We are changing our style of play, changing our mentality and changing the standards and expectations that we have of ourselves. That doesn’t happen overnight.
What is really encouraging is that we are now starting to see some of those building blocks coming together.
We are seeing more of our principles coming through in games. We are seeing us dictate matches through possession. We are seeing players understand their roles better, and we are seeing a group that is becoming increasingly comfortable with the way we want to play.
And once again, the biggest credit for that goes to the players.
They have been brilliant. They have taken things on board, they have challenged themselves and they have stayed together. The environment within the group is really positive, and I genuinely believe we have a brilliant group of people in that dressing room.
We understand that we are a little bit short on numbers at the moment. We have unfortunately picked up a number of injuries in a relatively short period of time, which has obviously tested us.
We are hopeful that we can get one or two players back sooner rather than later, and we will assess everyone following the weekend’s game.
We will also continue to look at the market.
But I want to make one thing very clear: I completely respect the owners and the budget that they have given us. I am not going to throw money left, right and centre simply for the sake of bringing bodies into the football club.
We want quality.
I want a squad where every single player believes they can play in the starting XI. I don’t want players that I am simply happy to have as squad players.
I think you have seen evidence of that over the last couple of games.
Players coming off the bench have made an impact. Players who perhaps haven’t had as much football as they would have liked have come into the starting XI and performed exceptionally well.
That competition is important.
We want players pushing each other every single day, because ultimately that is what makes us better.
There are still areas where we know we need to improve.
Defensively, we know we need to continue getting better. Offensively, we know we need to continue getting better. We have to become more consistent in all areas of the pitch.
But we are improving.
One of the things I have been really pleased with is our ability to dictate games through possession. If we have the ball, it gives us a platform to control games and puts the responsibility on the opposition to win it back.
Of course, you can still lose football matches when you have possession. Sloppiness in possession, set pieces and individual errors can all hurt you, and we have experienced that ourselves.
But we have worked hard to tighten those areas up, and I think we are starting to see the benefits.
Most importantly, everyone is engaged.
Everyone understands what we are trying to achieve.
And that is a really positive place to be.
I also want to acknowledge the commitment of our supporters.
I know the travelling you have done this season has not been easy. We have been up to the North East twice, we’ve been to Chester, we’ve had a Tuesday night trip to Brackley and there have been plenty of miles covered already.
Football is an expense.
People are working incredibly hard every day to cover the costs of their lives, and then they choose to spend some of that hard-earned money following this football club.
We never take that for granted.
We understand the sacrifice that comes with travelling, buying tickets, paying for fuel, food and everything else that comes with following your team.
So please rest assured that we respect it, we appreciate it, and every single person involved with this football club is doing everything we possibly can to make you proud and send you home pleased every time you come through the turnstiles.
It isn’t always going to be plain sailing.
There won’t be wins every single week. That’s football. You get that at the highest level and you get it at every level below.
But what I can promise you is that we will continue to strive for consistency. We will continue to work. We will continue to improve.
And we will continue to give everything we have to make this football club better.
So, thank you.
Thank you for the patience.
Thank you for the support.
Thank you for travelling.
And thank you for continuing to get behind the players.
Please keep doing it.
Your support makes a massive difference — collectively as a squad and individually to every player who walks out wearing the shirt.
We are pleased with the direction we are heading.
We know we have plenty more work to do.
But we are moving forward, we are building something together, and we are really looking forward to seeing where we can take it.
Keep getting behind us. Keep believing. And let’s continue moving forward together.
Paul Caddis