Truro City Director of Football Alex Black reflects on the season so far

In this episode Truro City Football Club Director of Football Alex Black reflects on the season so far. 

We recorded on Monday morning - Sept 21st - so 8 National League South matches, 2 National League Cup matches and the FA Cup match at Merthyr Town to reflect upon.

Alex also explains the loaning out of Lewis Colwell to Basingstoke and Jack Matthews to Plymouth Parkway and how it works when a full time pro is loaned to a semi-pro club.

We went live to the world prior to the FA Cup Qualifying 3rd round draw and the Merthyr Town replay.

Our next episode - scheduled for recording on September 28th - focuses on the Women’s team who have won 3 out of 3 so far including their most recent match when they came back from 1-0 down to win 19-1. 

We will be joined by team manager Paul Knight, captain Rosie Shipp and vice-captain Kayden Hatton

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And if you would to get involved with the club as a volunteer please drop an email to Amy Horton via info@trurocity.co.uk

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_01 0:02

So, welcome everybody to the Truro City Football Podcast. We are at episode number eight. I'm with Alex Black, Director of Football. And Alex, I mean, you were the driving force behind making this podcast happen. And uh the good news is that the vast, vast majority of podcasts, I'm told, don't get past episode seven. And we're recording episode eight, so uh yeah, what a milestone for us.

SPEAKER_00 0:28

We don't like to just do what everybody else does. If everybody else does seven, we'll do at least eight for those city. But yeah, I think uh big thanks to yourself, Trevor, for doing a fantastic job. And I know it's nice of you to give me a little bit of praise, but I think most of the praise should go to yourself for this.

SPEAKER_01 0:44

Well, well, I think most of the praise actually should go to our listeners because you know we're looking at the figures and they don't, you know, they don't make sense to anybody except ourselves, but they are but you know, the the downloads we're getting are fantastic, so that's always a big encouragement to keep going. So thanks to everybody for listening and sharing and telling us things about it. Great, really good.

SPEAKER_00 1:04

It doesn't surprise me. We've got you know a fantastic set of supporters and loyal fans, and it's nice to be able to give them a little bit of an insight on uh what's going on behind the scenes as best we can.

SPEAKER_01 1:14

Well, that's what we're trying to do, and uh in October we've got uh we've got uh an episode uh with Paul Knight, Rosie Ship, and Caden Hatton who are going to tell us all about the women's team who uh yesterday had another well big win one-nil down and then won 19-1. So fair does to them.

SPEAKER_00 1:30

Another close game for the women. Um so yeah, I think with the women's teams, to be fair with them when we were applying for to go into the leagues and stuff, uh there was a bit of a you know, we felt we should have moved into a higher division at the at the very beginning, but um for whatever reason the various authorities insisted on on putting us where we are, which I I don't actually think it's great for for anybody, especially, but I spoke to Paul and just said, well, just go out and win every game that you can by as much as you can, and show everybody why we argued we shouldn't be in that division. And so far, it seemed to be uh seems to be the case, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_01 2:15

Yeah, yeah, doing great. So we're looking forward to that. That's uh with Paul, Rosie and Caden. We've also got a couple of volunteers coming on an episode in August, uh in August, in October. We've got uh Sharon Reeve and Matt Flynn telling us what it's like to be a volunteer behind the scenes because you know volunteers are integral part of the club, Alex, especially on match day, all those people in the turnstiles and sweeping up and stewarding and all that stuff. So uh we're gonna learn from them and hopefully encourage a few people to uh to volunteer as well. But um anyway, we're in episode eight. We recorded episode one back at the beginning of August. So we've kind of had what you might call eleven competitive matches since then. Eight in the National League South, two in the National League Cup, one in, of course, on Saturday in the FA Cup. So uh six on the table, game in hand, won both the National League Cup games, got a replay. Uh well to we're recording on Monday tomorrow night in the FA Cup.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

So uh so far Yes, uh very good. I think um be a lot of people sort of questioned after last season would there be a hangover going into this season? Um I don't think there'd be uh too many people would have been disappointed with uh in the playoffs with a game in hand on uh everybody else that's around us pretty much. And uh yeah, I think we've been playing well.

SPEAKER_01 3:35

Yeah, I mean, um obviously we all know that in the last couple of games we've we've not really you know we've had a lot of chances but not really converted them and therefore ended up with uh you know one point from the last two home games when we might have expected more, I guess.

SPEAKER_00 3:48

Yeah, I mean I think that's gonna happen. I've I've been away, so I wasn't at um a couple of those games, the Waltham game and the Salisbury game, might but from looking at some of the footage and speaking to the coaches and stuff, I think we were disappointed with how we played against Waltham and Hersham, and um that possibly was our worst performance of the season. Having said that, um you know, I think getting the late equaliser was pretty well deserved by all accounts. I don't think anybody says that you know Waltham should have necessarily beaten us. But I think against Salisbury we we played pretty well. I mean we we dominated them throughout the match, and that's gonna that's gonna happen. Sometimes, you know, you you're not gonna win it, you're not gonna win every game, are you? You're not gonna sometimes things aren't gonna go your way. But what you do know is that over the course of the season, which as you say, we're still early on it, but we've already played what is it, 11-12 games or something like that so far. Um if you dominate possession, if you dominate shots, if you dominate corners, if you outrun and you outfight, uh on the whole, results go your way.

SPEAKER_01 5:05

Well, as everybody would say, Alex, it's a 40-game 46-game season, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00 5:09

It's not that's just the league.

SPEAKER_01 5:11

It's not decided in eight games, which is what we've played so far, and um long way to go. And three three away games on the trot now. Um, so do you think possibly, you know, having those, including the Leicester game, four successive home games might not have worked in our favour, really, in some respects?

SPEAKER_00 5:28

Yeah, I don't know. I I mean I wouldn't say for us it it it's negative for us in in football in terms, it's probably more of a negative for the fans, you know, having to keep dipping into the pockets a bit more regularly than they need to. Everybody knows money's tight, uh, that's why we appreciate them them coming out and giving us their their support. But um now three away on the bounce, but that's just what it is. You've just got to there's nothing you can do about that. You've got to play everybody home and away. Those are the those are the rules, and you know, they talk about the big computer that works it all out. I've never actually seen this big computer that everybody talks about that that does all of the fixtures, but it's uh amazing how the big computer comes up with similar ties. We're playing we played Mertha in the FA Cup, and I think the last time we played Mirtha was amazingly we got drawn in the same round of the FA Cup. I mean it's amazing how the big computer keeps coming up with the same ones, isn't it? Um but you know and I I but I think on the whole, look, uh we've got a good squad. I think we're happy with we're happy with with where we're at. And um, you know, there's certainly what you can see from you know if you include the cup game against Wolfer against um Mirtha um on Saturday, that the team is, you know, it even though it might get frustrating when you're dominating possession, you're not getting it in, they they keep going right till the end, don't they? Yeah, yeah. That's two last-minute injury time goals, albeit just for equalisers. But if you keep going, you know, that the whole point of the season, just keep going. Um and um remember one of the the first managers that I appointed here was uh Paul Wilkinson, um who was very experienced being at Grimsby in Northampton, but actually won the league with Everton back in the 80s, so knows a thing or two about about football. And even though I've been in it a long time, it you you're always learning something new, and and going back then, he always said, Look, the aim of it is just to be to be in the game. You know, if you're one-nil down with a few minutes to go, you're still in it, you've got a chance. If you're 4-0 down, you've got no chance. Yeah, yeah. So you just want to be in it, in the game, and we've certainly been in every game that we've played so far this season. I don't think any single team has come and dominated us and we've gone flipping it. How can we compete with them when we play them again? I think every single team we've played so far, we can turn around and go, yeah, nothing to fear when we play them again. Doesn't mean they're not good, doesn't mean there's challenges, but you know, uh we can get something against them. And and that's the same in the league. You know, we want to do well in the league, we want to be up there near the top, challenging for playoffs and titles and this sort of thing, and at the moment that's what we're doing. We're in it, aren't we? You're you're a runner, aren't you? So you like running, and I I always give it a bit of a bit of an analogy if you're running that 1500 metre race, there's numerous ways to to run the race, isn't there? You can either some guys go bombing out, and on the whole pack catches them up, and it's a case of can they hang on. Um my preference, not that you get to choose, but my preference would be I'd like to be in the pack on the corner, coming round that final bend, give it a push, and what have we got in the tank? Can we get over the line? And at the moment there's nothing to suggest that when we get to the business end of the season, that we won't be there or thereabouts.

SPEAKER_01 9:29

Well, you know, as we've talked about uh on this podcast before, Alex, you know, the opposition managers in their post-match interviews, lots of them have said what a you know what a well-organised, well-drilled, well-disciplined, highly fit, well-professional side churro are. Um, and um, you know, that that that uh keep keep playing like uh we are, goals, goals surely have got to come, haven't they? You know, you've got to think we could I mean I did a bit of analysis and well we scored in the 25th minute against Maidenhead, but we haven't scored a goal earlier than that yet. And uh I think from a you know players fans point of view, an early goal obviously settle the nerves, and then we we uh we could barnstorm a few teams, maybe.

SPEAKER_00 10:08

Yeah, possibly, yeah. I mean I think it's uh it's all credit to to the the team and the club as to where where we've got to, the managers are making comments such as that, but it's a different challenge, it's a different challenge for Truro than they've they've probably ever had before. Teams we historically um when we played at this sort of level of football, teams have come and been like this is the sort of team we need to beat. If we want to have a good season, we've got to beat Truro. That is not the case anymore. Teams are coming to us and thinking how can we contain them, how can we stop them? And can we get a draw? Can we can we nick a result? And that's that's different. I mean, you know, I wasn't at the the Salisbury game, but again, I was at the Mirtha game. Mirtha are a very good footballing team, technically playing very nice and passionate about what they were not being was expansive, throwing loads of bodies forward, opening themselves up. They were they were they were sitting in, and you know, we had the majority of the position, we had to try and break them down, and um and it's difficult to do that. Um I think we've only conceded five goals all season, something like that, isn't it, Trevor?

SPEAKER_01 11:26

Uh four in the league, four in the league.

SPEAKER_00 11:27

So we've only conceded four league goals. Unfortunately, every time we have conceded a league goal, it's been the first one. So if you look at against Salisbury, they score first. You look at Waltham and Hersham, they score first. So obviously, statistically, if you concede first, you're much more likely to not win the game. Um so you you don't want to concede first, and it's easy to say it, but score first instead of conceding first, it's probably a vastly different game. Those teams don't have to once they score, their job pretty much becomes just sit in and stop them trying to score and hit on the break. And that's that happened against Mertha. Mirtha had you know two very good chances uh on Saturday. Um one, they had a very good shout for a penalty, um, which wasn't given, and the uh and then uh Ailen Stones made a great save when the guys threw through one on one. But but both those came once they were already 1-0 up. Right. So we really were throwing bodies forward to try and get that to try and get that equaliser. But before that, I don't think they really had too much of a too much of a chance. And Merth are a really good team, um, really good home record. Um so I don't think they've lost at home all season. So it's not easy, nobody's gonna give us anything. But um but on the whole, I think we look fit, we look strong, we're able to make five or six changes again, and other players coming in. And I think that one one thing that I'm really happy with is if you look between those two uh is it two National League Cup games we've played. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Um we made a bunch of changes against Dorking and uh some changes against uh Mertha in the FA Cup. Most of the squad have got minutes in the legs. Yeah. Um we're not struggling too much with injuries on the whole, so you know, when we have to make changes, those those players will be much better for it. Strangely, a replay is not the end of the world in terms of getting more minutes for players that we want to get minutes, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:56

And uh, well, let's hope for a big crowd at uh by the time many people listen to this podcast, the game may have happened on the Tuesday night. And we'll also know the draw for the uh third round, which I think is we're recording Monday morning. I think it's lunchtime today, isn't it? I think the draw for the third round.

SPEAKER_00 14:12

We don't this is another magic computer, I think. This is like it. We don't at this round we don't get to see the draw, you know. Technically, you know, the old uh velvet bags and or or plastic computers.

SPEAKER_01 14:26

Oh, you mean uh watching it live on TV or something?

SPEAKER_00 14:29

Yeah, you don't get that I don't think until the first round. So um, yeah, the the the mysteries of why you get drawn against who, but but let's see.

SPEAKER_01 14:39

Good. And um, so you know, obviously, Alex, in your job as director of football, you know, a big part of that. You're heavily involved obviously in the signing of players. So the the guys you brought in, we'll talk about the the two that have gone out on loan and how that works in a minute. But overall, pleased with uh with your signing so far this year? Yeah. Without talking about them individually, of course, but yeah, well, we're not allowed to talk about it. Well you can do, yeah. I just ready to analyze them all, you know.

SPEAKER_00 15:08

No, no, I I think look, on on the whole, we've um we've recruited well, I think. Um don't think it's any mystery. I don't think we did recruit well when we went up. Um there's a number into the league above, there was a number of reasons for that. Main reason just being it was so it was so difficult. And I think I've probably said this on the podcast before, it's important you sort of learn your lessons really. Um and so yeah, we we've we've recruited and the stats are sort of showing that you know overall as a squad our running distances are up, our sprints are up, our so physically we're a better team than we were last year, and I think physically was one of the big issues we had at the at the level above. Um but I think then uh and obviously you've got to bear in mind with that when you don't have the ball as much you run a lot more. So when you're in control of the game, you your running stats and stuff are generally lower. Okay, you don't have to run as much, you know. If you think about I think the year one of the years Liverpool won the league, one of the players with the least distance covered in the league was Virgil van Dijk because he basically didn't have that much to do. Right because Liverpool were attacking all the time. But um, so our figures are all up all all across the board. Um I think you see in the games when those players do come in, they're not letting anybody down, they're fighting for their place, yeah, and um you know laying down a few markers, and over the course of the season all those all those players are gonna play an imp important part.

SPEAKER_01 17:04

Well, I think we saw that, didn't we, uh in the in the first of the four successive home games against Leicester City in the National League Cup, where I know you've got to start with four players, but then from the previous game, two came off after 30 minutes. But so there was you know, eight or nine of them you know trying to prove their worth, and boy, they they played exceptionally well, you know. I mean, there were some great goals scored. Um, so they are getting you know that the good game time, I suppose, on that basis. And I guess you know, you've what was it, seven signings, wasn't it? I think um maybe eight with uh Tom Dean on loan, and uh and effectively Ben Starkey back for a full season, so almost like a new sign-in himself, really. Um so tell us, I mean, I noticed we've noted well, we've all noticed a couple of the trialists, Jack Matthews and uh Lewis Colwell have uh have gone out on loan in the last week or so, so for three month periods, I think. So, so how does it work, Alex, when uh they're full-time pros for Truro and they go out on loan to what are semi-pro teams? How does that work?

SPEAKER_00 18:04

Yeah, I mean, we're both those players, they were that was always the plan when we brought them in. Um the players knew that. Um, you know, unless they broke into the team, you know, we we were sort of setting them the challenge, come in, you know, um try and get yourself in the team, try and get yourself some minutes. They they got minutes in pre-season, both of them got some minutes, I think, in across the two National League.

SPEAKER_01 18:31

Yeah, they did, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 18:33

Um, and so uh but they're gonna find at the moment minutes for us limited, so they will go out on their loans where it's part-time, but they'll train full-time with us. So, for example, uh, I think Lewis went down, he's gone to Basin Stoke, so he would I think the last time he went down, they would he would go down and train with them on a Thursday evening, which is when they train, and then stay down and play on play on Saturday. Okay. Um with Jack, um he'll probably they're a bit park, where a bit more local, so he'll train when when they train, but they train on an evening, so without over training him, he he'll be with us um on the days and getting his getting his sessions in, and then we'll coordinate with bit with between the two clubs to what they're doing and not doing with the with the game. So that that allows us to keep working with them because we've seen them very much as development players for the future, good local players who we always want to try and get in get into the game, uh get into Truro City if we can. And um it's ideal really, they can train with us and go and get some much needed minutes of football. Um they all have although they go for three months, we we insist on like a 28 day. So after 28 days, we can recall them. So if they're required for us after 28 days, they will uh then come back. Um if they're not required, but for whatever reason it's not working out in the loans how we want, then we might we may look at somewhere else for them to to go and make sure that they're getting the required minutes. And look there might be one or two other players that if they're not getting enough minutes with us, um we might look at that, but we don't really we wouldn't want everybody to go out all at once, but you know, possibly once these two guys get to their 28 days and we know they can be recalled, then we might let others go out with a bit more confidence, knowing that if we do have injuries we can bring players back into the squad.

SPEAKER_01 20:49

Yeah, and um obviously um I think you know it feels like you've got a close working relationship with Plymouth Park where there's been several players over the years, you know, between the two clubs. But how did Lewis end up going to Basinstoke? How does that happen?

SPEAKER_00 21:04

I think he'd been there on loan before.

SPEAKER_01 21:06

Had he?

SPEAKER_00 21:07

So they they basically came in. We we weren't you know, we didn't circulate any of the players, we weren't pushing them out, but the the clubs have come in and and requested, so I think with Jack um going to part way one of their centre halves, uh Scarf, I think his name is, joined um Torquay. So they needed another centre half, so that they they made an approach to us. Um you know Matt Godfrey's the assistant manager, who's obviously one of our coaches in the previous few years. So there's a good there's a close relationship there. Yeah, yeah. Um we had actually we had a couple of inquiries for Lewis um and but we felt like Basis Toke where he'd been before was a was a b the best option for him and for us. And he uh I think he's done quite well. I think he's like assisted since he's been there, he's played two games. Scored two goals and he's assisted both of them and got assist in both games, so it's good.

SPEAKER_01 22:04

Well he played against Leicester and uh you know had a really good game that night.

SPEAKER_00 22:08

So um you know it sort of shows where we're at as a squad that somebody that's a good player like him not actually uh making it into our match today squad at the moment.

SPEAKER_01 22:19

Yeah, and I suppose they'll both look at maybe back uh was it around this time last year when Tom Harrison went out on loan to Chippenham? You know, sort of came back, got in the team, and has been there ever since.

SPEAKER_00 22:29

So they'll they'll look at that, I guess. Yeah, Tom was coming back from injury, needed to go out and get minutes, and it I think he went there for two or three months even he didn't go just for one month.

SPEAKER_01 22:40

No, it was only a little while, wasn't it?

SPEAKER_00 22:41

I think, yeah. And so yeah, everybody look it basically the mantles thrown down to the players. If you're good enough, you'll get you'll get picked. Yeah it's up to them when they get the chances to uh to put that question into the manager's mind, isn't it? Absolutely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 23:00

Well, there you go, Alex. Um so overall, um a good start to the season in many senses, yeah. Um there's there's always a high expectation, which as you've rightly said, you know, we've never had before at Truro, you know.

SPEAKER_00 23:12

Well not for a while anyway.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

No, not for a while.

SPEAKER_00 23:15

But I think that um yeah, there's but we set high ex we set high high expectations of ourselves as well, and we and you know, we we desperately want to do well, want to do well for the club, want to do well for the fans, and you know, and it it's a you know it's a it's a journey, isn't it? It's a long old the season's a long old journey, it's been a long old journey for the for the club. I mean I know we're we sort of joke about it, but the club having a podcast with the loyal listeners and all that that's a big that's a big change in you know the foot things that are happening at the at the football club. That's uh you know, we we've got we're getting more listeners now to our podcast than we used to get going to some of the games when we played from the far away.

SPEAKER_01 24:05

I thought of it like that, yeah, yeah. I don't know how many other podcasts are around in the National League South.

SPEAKER_00 24:10

Maybe we will Yeah, I don't I I don't know, but I tell you what is interesting when I do go places, so I think I mentioned before Chelmsford manager listened to it. Yeah, um the one of the directors, he might have been the chairman at Mertha when I was there on Saturday, was asking me a bunch of questions and was saying, Oh yeah, I was listening to that on your podcast. Really? Yeah, so so we know we go international. I know we know we definitely go to Wales.

SPEAKER_01 24:42

Well, I'm hope I think we have a few uh listeners in uh in the Toronto area and Pennsylvania area with our disappointed if they didn't listen. Well, yeah, the two owners we had on a a few episodes ago. So uh great stuff. Well, that's that's a that's a great catch-up, Alex. So thank you very much for sharing the insights into that because this podcast is all about trying to share insights that you know might not uh reach fans in in any other medium, so uh, and to uh hopefully keep them up to speed with what's going on at the club. So um, and a big thanks to everybody who is listening to the podcast and sharing comments. You know, don't forget uh on the show notes, right at the top, there's a button that says get in touch. A few of you have, and we've given you a shout out. So please do use that. We're always keen to know your thoughts and ideas. And uh, well, next week we've uh we're doing a special episode on the women's team.

SPEAKER_00 25:30

Well, that'd be good. Yeah. That's another big, another big uh step forward for the football club, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 25:36

It is. So we've got Paul Knight, the manager, we've got Rosie Ship, who's the captain, and uh and Caden Hatton, who is the uh vice captain. So we're we're gonna have a chat with them on uh which will be uh it's scheduled for next Monday. So uh we look forward to that. And uh can't play their goal highlights, it takes too.

SPEAKER_00 25:56

Are you gonna be asking them how what uh do they have to keep going to try and get that goal? Whoa, whoa. Be patient.

SPEAKER_01 26:03

You said about teams about teams uh you know if you if you concede the first goal, you know, you you might you know there's a better chance you'll uh not win the game. Well, they did that on yesterday, as we mentioned earlier, and then they well they scored 19 after conceding the first goal. So demoralising for the opposite.

SPEAKER_00 26:18

Do you think they briefly got excited that they thought they might win the game, the opposition? It's justn't gonna be.

SPEAKER_01 26:35

So thanks very much, Alex. Um we'll be back. Are you are you gonna uh pop into the women's uh one or are we just gonna I've got three of them here, so uh Is that you saying you don't want me to come back? No, no, I think it'd be great to have you around as well. So uh I should be able to, I should be able to. We'll do that. So thanks for listening, everybody. Please keep telling everybody else about this podcast. Do share it, do comment on it, do rate and review. Because if you do that on your podcast app, it does help people find it. So uh thanks very much, Alex, and uh we'll see you next time. Yep, thank you very much.