THE SHAMIR ALAM INTERVIEW, FOLLOWING THE 7-1 WIN v FC STRATFORD...

Promotion sealed... Congratulations to you, your coaches and all associated with GNP. Your feelings?

"Thank you. I'm obviously happy, the boys are buzzing but we still have 5 league games and a Cup Final to go, so I enjoyed last night but quite quickly afterwards the coaches and me were assessing which bodies we have available and we have already began to plan tactics and team selection for Thursday's away game vs FC Stratford. 

There has been a real sense of togetherness with the players and nights like last night only improve that team morale, so they would enjoy yesterday I'm sure but come Wednesday morning we will all be focused on looking to achieve 3 points against Stratford."

So Cook sauntered onto the pitch to fire a fast hat-trick then went to work... How pleased for him were you?

"He flew into the country that morning after celebrating his birthday abroad and what an impact he made. Cook frustrates the hell out of me at times with his wayward finishing and at times doesn’t look interested but then he comes of the bench and is ruthless and destroys one of our rivals in 15 minutes. I clearly haven’t got the best out of him yet on a consistent basis but if Charlie can have the big game mentality in all his games then he will be the envy of most clubs in Coventry. 

He was class versus Burbage, good in the semi-final and great last night. He has to now repeat that against the sides like Inkberrow and Ajax who will just put 11 players behind the ball. Charlie deserves all the plaudits he is getting right now, I'm so happy with him at the moment and I know I can trust him in the big games; all I need now is that consistency..."

O’Grady was particularly tricky after the break and Phillips’ runs were threatening. Any comments about the pair?

"I think I’ve spoken loads about the pair each week: they are both a class above. The pressure I put on them each week to perform, I can promise you, is massive and Leigh hasn’t let me down all season and Josh wont either. The technical ability of both is something else and we are lucky to have both players at our club. Both will play a massive part in bringing success to the club over the next few years. When you manage star players, it’s all about keeping them on their toes and ensuring they are enjoying their football and both are getting that at GNP! I will be trying something tactically with the pair going forward and I think it could be devastating for the last 6 games of the season!"

Any aspects about the game you were disappointed by? No real celebrations for you I guess, so what are you thinking at this moment?

"I was disappointed with myself tactically in the first-half. I set the team up in the right way to exploit FC but I changed that in the second-half and lessons have been learnt going forward. I wasn’t best pleased at half-time. I didn’t think we were playing poorly but we looked and sounded flat, which was surprising because the boys knew we were one win away from promotion, so whatever caused that, it won’t happen again! I'm just focused on Thursday facing Stratford away; it's special under lights and all I want is 3 points." 

Any words for FC Stratford, whose manager Dave  Poulson was very impressed by the power and personnel in your team?

"They have 4 very good players, an assistant manager who clearly loves the club and does loads in regards to making the players feel as special as possible in how he prepares their changing room and his social media stuff. Dave is experienced in Division 3 and his team is expansive, brave on the ball and score loads of goals. 

The problem they have had this season has been us... After Thursday I wish them luck in their promotion chase and who knows, the fun rivalry may continue in Division 2 but make no mistake we haven’t and I haven’t gone soft all of a sudden. I want to annihilate them for 90 minutes on Thursday because we have only done it for 45 minutes against them two games in a row now and that annoys me."

I know your players always keep a close eye on who you select for the GNP M.O.M, so who was it from yesterday?

"Whilst Charlie rightfully gets the headlines for his 15 minute hat-rick, I thought O’Grady had his best game for us since joining. He was a constant threat as our set-piece taker but in the second-half when we needed him, he came good. The two goals he scored were at crucial times during the game and every time he had the ball at his feet, the manipulation of making defenders do what he wanted can’t be taught. 

We let him play with freedom but he knows he’s still got to work hard and I think he’s probably made more tackles and attempted headers in the 7 games he’s been with us, compared to all season. His stats speak for themselves: 7 Starts, 9 goals & 9 assists, showing why he’s the best winger in the MFL. The scary thing is, he isn’t happy because he’s yet to score a hatty, but it will come!"

Yours in football:

Shamir Alam, Manager, GNP Sports...