Godfrey named as new Swans skipper…

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With the Swans having kicked-off their pre-season schedule with a comfortable win at next-door neighbours Staines Lammas on Saturday, yours truly sat down with recently appointed, new first-team captain Elliott Godfrey after the match to discuss his thoughts on his return to Wheatsheaf Park on a permanent basis and the dawning of the new era under boss Marcus Gayle.

SM - Welcome back then Elliott, it’s great to have you around. So how did the move to the Swans come about?

EG - Thanks, it’s great to be here! The decision to come on-board here with Marcus was not an easy one for me to be honest, for I’d had a really enjoyable time at Hendon last season and I’d made some great friends there. But Marcus had called me in early, straight after he was appointed and he explained to me what his plans were here. They sound exciting, in that he has a blank-page (pretty much) to work with and he underlined how he’s gonna’ bring a new, young squad together. Of course he needs a little bit of experience though and so with Scott already on the scene, I was happy to sign-up and add to that.  

It sounds like a really exciting time for this Club and I quickly decided that I wanted to be a part of that and get involved. Of course, the lure of Conference South football was a factor too, but really the most important bit was the excellent pitch, set-up, direction and plans that Marcus and the Club have. It’s gonna’ be a really exciting time, I think.

SM - Am I right, this’ll be your first taste of a senior role such as Club Captain?

EG - Yes it is. That was a bit of a surprise to be honest, but it’s an opportunity I’m really looking forward to and I’m proud to have been offered the responsibility. I accepted it without a second thought. With the many young and some inexperienced players all around the squad, it’s a role that really has some responsibility I feel and so I will be working hard to pass on my experience and as much support as I possibly can. I’m gonna’ need to take a few of the younger players under my wing and pass on my experiences to them. It won’t change my game though, Marcus has asked me here to play a specific role in the side and that is my first thought, I just need to make sure I’m keeping the rest of the team around me and we’re all pulling in the same direction. I can be a vocal player on the pitch when it’s needed and I’m very opinionated!

SM - So tell us a little bit about your background with Marcus, obviously you were together at AFC Wimbledon?

EG - Yes, that’s right but, to be honest, when Marcus was first appointed in his coaching role with the reserve and development squads there, I was already in my last year, so we really didn’t work together so closely then. However, we go back further to Watford where I was a first year professional as Marcus was finishing his career as a senior pro’. He was given the responsibility of being my mentor and I learned a lot from him then. One of the most memorable things I learned was that he’s such a nice guy and always has time to listen to and nurture younger players, as I was then. It seems he’s carried those skills through his career and so he’ll be able to use them now here at Staines. Hopefully, I learned plenty from him in those days too which will help me in the role as Captain here.

SM - So with the first game and a few training sessions out of the way, how do you see things panning out here at Staines Town FC as we move on into this exciting new era?

EG - Well we can see that Marcus is assembling a predominantly young squad, but that’s the exciting bit. When you’re that age and with your playing career and dreams largely in front of you, then you can play with a fearless attitude and your positivity is right up at high levels all the time. As a squad of players we need to quickly get all tuned-in together and work really hard to build something good. It’s really exciting and I think we can all see that Marcus is assembling a squad that is hungry to prove themselves individually and become part of something special. I think we’ve got a lot to look forward to – it won’t be easy and there’ll be a stiff learning curve for some, but the group is being assembled early and so we’re gonna’ give ourselves every chance to be successful.

SM - Well thanks for your time this afternoon Elliott and welcome back to the Club. I know all the Swans supporters wish you well and are looking forward to an exciting season….oh, and a few more goals like the one you smoked today wouldn’t go a miss too!

EG - Thanks very much….I’ll do my best!