Player manager Kevin Nicholson has held his weekly pre game press conference ahead of the match against Grimsby Town this weekend and as well as previewing our opponents, he also spoke about the departing Kenny Veysey and on loan player Harry Hickford.
His interviews were carried by the Official Site.
Beginning with Grimsby, Nicholson confirmed that Angus MacDonald and Dan Butler would come back into his thoughts with both of them serving their suspension in the last game, but Louis Briscoe has picked up a calf injury and needs to be assessed late on, so he could join Luke Young, Waide Fairhurst and Exodus Geohaghon on the sidelines.
‘The lads have gone to both Southport and Woking and done everything I have asked. We`ve given it a real go and if we can play like we have done in patches in these last two games, we will give ourselves every chance. Saturday`s game gives us the chance to see how far we`ve come against a strong side at this level who go into the match on the back of a 7-0 victory. We want to test ourselves against the best and the players should thrive on the occasion. I am certainly looking forward to the challenge.’
Nicholson said everybody in the group has been working as hard as they can and he knows that preparation is key, but given the things that he has been working on he’s seeing good signs of it being taken on board by the players and put into practice but now the key is to be consistent over 90 minutes on that front.
‘Hopefully we can start to do it over the full 90 minutes rather than in spells. I am pleased with the progress that we are making and our focus now is fully on Grimsby. After that, we`ve got a full week on the training pitch to work on things. It`s nice to see the lads smiling and enjoying things. I said from day one that I want to see them playing with a smile on their faces and proving to me that they want to be part of our project on a long-term basis.’
As for Veysey who announced his departure the other day, Nicholson said of the 45 year old who leave after this weekend’s match.
‘It`s going to be emotional for him and everyone at the club. I am gutted to see him go, to be honest. He`s a great character to have around the place and is Torquay United through-and-through. Every club needs someone like him; he`s worth his weight in gold, but we respect his wishes to leave. I will shake his hand and hope that he enjoys his life away from football. He`s a great bloke and we wish him well in whatever the future brings for him and his family.’
Finally, it’s expected that Hickford (on loan from MK Dons) will be with us for the final time against Grimsby this weekend, and given the spell that he had with us, Nicholson had plenty of praise for his attitude.
The youngster joined us last month and was due to return to his parent club at the beginning of the week but soon found himself thrust into the Woking draw as a replacement for suspended skipper MacDonald.
‘Harry was fantastic on Tuesday. For a young lad who one minute thought he was going back to his club and then the next was starting against Woking, he stepped up and did well against some good players. He was able to stand up and be counted and I have nothing but good things to say about him. He`ll be with us for Saturday`s game but that is likely to be his last before he goes back to MK Dons. They want him to be playing every week and I can`t guarantee that at the moment. They have a run of Under-21 and reserve games coming up, so their manager wants to see him figure in those.’
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