Lee Grant
First of all, about a couple of the young players: Cam Ashia and Dan Vost continuing to impress, getting some minutes at the weekend. I just wondered if you could talk to us a little bit more about about their characters, and what you think they’re bringing to the squad at the moment.
Two very different characters, but two characters that have settled well in the moments they’ve been up and around the first team squad, which, of course, really important, because you have to be and know your way around the changing room and the environment to be able to survive.
They’re doing a good job of that, the pair of them, both in their own way. Cam is probably a little bit more gregarious and outgoing, and you’ve got Dan, who is probably a little bit more the opposite, but we’ve really enjoyed their characters, and I think most importantly, the way they’re supporting the group with their training habits and their willingness to learn - and it’s the same with Jay Sway.
So look, they’ve got — and I’ve spoke about it post game — a lot of development to do individually, all three of them, a lot. That’s obviously our job as coaches in a football club, to continue to help them along those journeys.
Then obviously for those for them individually, when they get their moments to be in and around the first team group, of course, enjoy it, but you know, always have in the back of your mind for them, they should have that desire and hunger to try and be with us more often, and that means they’ve got to push really hard in their day to day work and their technical work, their physical work, because they’ve all got development physically still to do, and then, of course, they’re learning off the pitch as well.
But yeah, really pleased with them all, and for sure, they’ll continue to aid the group over the coming weeks.
And I just wondered, in terms of the conversations that you have with the sort of the academy — Michael Tonge, Jon Worthington — how you go about deciding at what point they’re ready to make that next step, and what sort of conversations do you have about their development and how they’re coming along?
Obviously it’s important that I’m monitoring, and I am in contact with Tongey and Worthy, particularly around their performance levels when they’re not with us, because that is pretty crucial to whether or not that opportunity is going to come back round for them.
So the big one for me after the Leicester game was was how they would react in the weeks after, when perhaps they weren’t going to be training with us, and perhaps they were going to be getting their minutes back with the U21s, and what’s their, you know, their attitude to the work like, how are they complementing the group that they’re stepping back into? Those things are important to me.
I don’t have any concerns, actually, around those three in particular, with regards to that, but with the conversations, with regards to myself and Tongey, it really is just for me to try and understand how we can best continue to help them so — and sometimes that may mean not being with us, as strange as that may sound, because their minutes might be best back with the U21s.
But what we what I think Tongey and Worthy both agree on, is that having the exposure over a prolonged period to train with really good players like we have in our first team environment is definitely going to benefit those younger players. So those three in particular — Jay, Cam and Dan Vost — have had probably the most exposure to that because of the way pre season has panned out. George Iorpenda has had some good spells across with us as well, and one or two others. We have to just keep managing that and making sure we’re doing the right things by them.
I wondered if you almost feel like something of a father figure to them. Obviously, your own son involved in the game, similar sort of ages as well. It’s clearly a very, very different dynamic, but do you kind of feel that almost like parental feeling towards their development, if you like?
Yeah, it’s a good question, Katherine, and I can’t deny that that’s not a factor, because it probably is, because I do have a son who’s a 2005 birthday, and I think Dan Vost, Cam Ashia, Jay Sway, they’re all 2004, 05, 06, sort of age group. And, yeah, it is a nice feeling to be able to help players on their journeys.
But my main goal is always team first. So what’s right for the for the senior squad, what’s right for the senior team, what’s going to help the football club reach its objectives? So despite the fact that that is always really nice for me personally, the focus always has to come back to what’s most important for the football club next.
Unfortunately, we have to talk about injuries. Really sad news that Zeppi Redmond is going to be missing for a little while. Obviously we know about Will Alves as well. I just wondered where you go in terms of their recovery? Do they go back to their parent clubs now? How does that work with them having those longer term injuries to contend with?
Yeah, those conversations with regards to Will’s next few weeks and possibly few months, the initial phase will be served back with his parent club. He’s had surgery to repair the issue in his foot, and his primary care will be taken care of now back at Leicester.
Due to just how recent Zeppi’s injury has been, conversations [with Aston Villa] are still ongoing with regards to how that will look and play out for Zeppi.
They’re both great kids, and we’ve enjoyed we’ve enjoyed working with them and having them and the exposure to the opportunity to develop them both. So having both or either of them around will be a bonus for us, just because of their personalities. But yeah, of course, we need to be respectful of what their parent clubs’ wishes are as well.
Unfortunately, the injury list, as you made reference to on Saturday, seems to be clocking up at the moment, and this is something that seems to have been an ongoing issue at Huddersfield Town well before your time. I think it was back in February that the chairman at the time said it was something you’re going to have a long look at. Can you put your finger on why the injury list is so lengthy at the moment, or is it purely just bad luck?
Well, what I can say is that the nature of the injuries we’ve had over the past few weeks are nigh-on impossible to prevent.
So somebody running on a football pitch and breaking their foot by taking a step is unpreventable. Somebody has to put their foot on the floor to run…unless somebody can develop a mechanism for somebody to run without putting their foot on the floor, then it’s impossible for for Will to to not break his foot in that instance. Even Will himself is baffled by how that one happened. He said to me after the game, ‘I just stepped and felt my foot pop’, so unpreventable and impossible to link back to anything else.
Then I think you look at Zeppi, and as I said at the weekend, it’s a mechanism that he’ll do a thousand more times in his career. He’s running, he’s dribbling the football, and he’s passing to his teammate, and he’s doing so without any contact from the opposition. And as a result of that mechanism, we lose him for four months, possibly. So again, it’s hard to get your head round. Tough one to take.
Herbie Kane is similar. He’s running, he slips, he overextends, we lose him for a period of months.
And the list goes on when it comes to that. You know, obviously Ruben [Roosken] contact injury (to his face against Burton), Antony Evans contact injury.
I must say, I actually feel a little bit for our medical team, because I’m sure they’re scratching their heads as to how we’re in the situation we’re in, and I know — because I’m in conversation with them every day on the subject — they’re as frustrated and upset as I am on it.
We, of course, are always, always looking into reviewing everything we do with regards to the physical loading we put into our players. But look, there are, and there will always will be in football, unfortunate circumstance, and I said at the weekend, I feel like we’re in a tough phase for it at the moment.
It’s why we put the squad together, but we can’t get away from the fact that we’re missing some important players at moment.
Turning your attention to the EFL trophy tomorrow night then, and as you say, it’s good job, in a way, that you do have a big and very talented squad at your disposal. How do you expect Harrogate to be different or provide a different challenge to the one you faced in the previous EFL trophy match against Newcastle U21s?
Well, senior players with experience, that’s the first difference and the key difference to the fixture, and they’re coming in off the back of a really good result of the weekend as well, so they’ll be buoyed by that.
They’re playing in a shape and a way that they’re they’re really familiar with. I don’t think they’ll make a million changes for this game. I think they made seven for their last [Trophy] fixture against Mansfield…I think there’s a likelihood there could be less this week against us. But we’ll have to see on that, of course.
So, yeah, a different test, a very different test, and one for us that, of course, we have to approach with the right amount of caution, because it is a different test to the Newcastle one, but for sure, still a game that I want us to go and attack, and I want us to to be aggressive with our principles and the way we want to do it as well.
Because they’re an experienced League Two side, in some ways, is that a really good opportunity for some of your young players, again, to come up against a different challenge?
Yeah, maybe so, maybe so. And look, we had a good test from Barrow in pre-season, and they’re good. They’re good benchmarks for some of our younger players.
But we’ll also have plenty of senior players in there as well that I think it’s still an important game for, in terms of getting exposure to minutes for the ones that we need to get exposure to minutes into.
On all sides of it, it’s still a game that I think is really useful for us and will serve a real good benefit — and not only that, it’s a game that we want to win, because, despite the fact that the squad is lighter than what we would like currently, it doesn’t take away from this competition is one that we want to do well in and we’ll approach it as such tomorrow night. So, yeah, good opportunity for us again is my belief.
I understand that Jacob Chapman is fit again now again. Is tomorrow night an opportunity perhaps for him to get some much needed minutes this season.
So he’s back on the grass, and he’s training, which is great, and we’re really pleased with that. He’s probably still not match-ready, I would say, if I’m being really honest.
He’s not had an opportunity to play a fixture since he’s been back, which means going straight into this would be a big ask — he’s not even had an 11 v 11 opportunity in training yet.
So it’s not out of the question, we’ve still got to finalise exactly how this team is going to look, but it would be a big ask for Chappers, but he’s in a really good place, so that’s important.
Just sticking with goalkeepers. I think you probably spoke about this on Saturday, to be fair, but you stuck with Lee Nicholls. Is that his reward for him and the performances he put in during Owen’s absence,
It is what it is, which is Lee had the opportunity post-Owen’s red card, to grab that shirt and continue to fight for it, which has been his main focus since Leyton Orient: fight for the shirt and fight for the opportunity to be recognised.
I’m certainly not daft enough to think that either of Owen or Lee would be satisfied with just playing in our in our cup competitions, and that goes for all of our players.
I know that Lee’s goal will have been, can I force my way into that starting XI in the league? He’s had that opportunity due to an unfortunate circumstance for Owen, but he’s not let us down.
I think his last two performances have been his best two performances, so Lee knows that he’s got to keep performing at that level, and Owen knows that he’s got to keep performing at the level that he showed in his his first stint in the team. I’ll be encouraging both to keep fighting in that way.
That’s obviously a good thing for the team to have two good goalkeepers both working really hard to earn the right to be back in or to retain the position they’ve currently got. So I see that as a real positive for the group.
Have you been pleased — and I assume you have as he’s had a new contract recently — but with the way Lee’s reacted, because he was undisputed number one for a good few years there, Championship keeper of the year a few years ago as well…it feels like when you bring in Owen, a different kind of character, might not respond so well, but it seems like, if anything, Lee has redoubled his efforts to get that shirt back?
Yeah, Lee wouldn’t have earned a new contract at the football club if I didn’t believe that he had that sort of character, so if there was any inkling for me that we had a player in the building that wasn’t willing to challenge and fight for the right to to play every week then I wouldn’t have wanted them with us, let alone offer them a new contract.
I made it very clear to Lee very early on, I wanted him with us, and my hope was that he would sign a new contract with us as well. What I quite liked about that was that there was no guarantees…when he signed that contract and entered into those discussions without any guarantee from me on ‘you’re going to get this shirt back at some point’, because I refuse to give either Lee or Owen a guarantee on that — or anyone else, by the way.
But I do like the fact that somebody is willing to work really hard be a really good teammate around the building and support Owen. Now, it’s not easy, but as a goalkeeper, you’re really forced into that because of the way you work every day and the closeness of that group…you’re forced into ‘right either I’m here for the team and support the group and my biggest rival will have to support them, or probably you fall by the wayside’.
Obviously Lee went the other way and really, really went into full ‘work hard, support, do what I can for the team when I’m given the opportunity’ mode, which then just leaves you in a better position for when your opportunity comes. And these opportunities come by hook or by crook, and he’s taking it at the moment.
We know you like your team building out from the back at times and finding those moments. Do you feel like a big difference against Exeter was that they chose those moments really well to get the ball forward? You know, I think maybe previous games, there’s been a little bit of rushing. Do you think that patience and finding those right moments and being a bit intelligent paid off on Saturday?
I thought we we showed good moments. I think probably what you’re describing is something we’ve talked about this morning, actually, as a group, which is, I feel like we’ve shown good moments of…when is it the right time? When’s a change of tempo needed? When’s more patience needed? When is inflicting more pain and hurt on the opposition needed? And when is it ‘no this is a real moment to just go through them quickly and get to the other end of the pitch’.
I feel like we had a good balance of that, so yeah, that was good. It’s not easy every week to get that right. The group is still figuring that out sometimes.
We talk about it a lot, but that will continue to just be a work in progress, and it will also continue to be very much a game context, game dynamic situation that they have to figure out live and on the fly.
I feel like part of my job is to have the team really well-educated around those moments so that they can be better placed to make those decisions quicker and be more alive to those decisions. But yeah, I thought they did a pretty good job of that, Steven, so, yeah, well spotted mate.
I thought a lot of it in particular went through Ruben Roosken. We know he’s got that, that quality on the ball — as do Sean Roughan and Murray Wallace — but is that a benefit you can get from Roosken by playing him at left back, as opposed to on the wing?
Yeah, we’ve got nice options when it comes to having different traits within those players. So all three of those players you’ve just mentioned have different super-strengths, and those three different super-strengths are all really valuable to us, so I don’t discount or feel like this is better than that, or that’s better than this.
We have to look at things game by game and right now, and for the last couple, Ruben has done a good job of being a good outlet for us on the left. So yeah, we’ll continue to look at that and we’ll continue to look at things game by game.
David Kasumu
That felt like a really important win away at Exeter. How do you reflect on it?
Yeah, it was definitely an important three points. Coming into the game, we knew it would have been the third game that week, so we’d have some tired legs and things, but we couldn’t let that be an excuse.
We dominated the game, and it could have been a lot of a higher scoreline, if we’re a bit more clinical with our chances and whatnot, but it’s three points at the end of the day.
It was a goal worthy of winning any game, wasn’t it, which you get the assist for? How did you feel when you saw that one sail into the back of the net?
I’ve seen Leo there, and Leo’s a great player. He’s got great ability, and obviously he’s, had his moment with a superb strike, and it came out a really good time in the game as well — so, buzzing for him.
Your manager described your performance in the game as spotless. When we spoke to him after the final whistle, were you happy with your own performance on the day, on Saturday?
First half, I feel like I was probably a bit of a yard off it in terms of the pace of the game and things like that. But second half, I thought I played a lot better. It was a better performance for me, and I feel like the team, in general, played better second half as well. There’s still bits I need to improve, but we’re happy to get the win in the end.
We know how much of a hard working, tenacious midfielder you are. Do you feel like you kind of at the top of your game at the moment?
I feel like there’s still definitely more to come. It’s only my second start in the league, I think, and when you go on a run of games, you’re going to get more confident and get more fit and just get used to playing again.
So obviously, for me, I don’t feel like I’m at the top of my game at the moment, but I’m not far off, and obviously I’m only going to get better as I keep playing more games and get into the run of trying to play every week
That’s where I’m at with it, and that’s my hopes going forward, just trying to solidify a spot in the team. We’ve got big squad, great players, lots of competition — so for me, it’s just about trying to solidify a spot in there and and keep consistently performing at my best possible level and bringing what I can to the to the team.
It must be difficult, because you want to play every single game, but Lee Grant is trying to juggle that squad rotation and different competitions as well. How do you find that as a player?
Well, every player, of course, wants to play every game, but having a big squad is very useful…like now, when obviously we’re getting a couple of injuries, the depth is important because there’s so many games and everyone’s going to get a chance to play. So it’s about, when you do get a chance, bringing what you bring to the team. That’s why you’re playing.
Obviously it means competition, but competition only makes you play better. So it’s good having the big squad, loads of depth, everyone’s available to bring what they can, and we’re all on the same direction, we all want the same thing.
The EFL trophy, a competition that we you know you want to go and try and win the thing…how difficult a challenge are you expecting tomorrow to be against a Harrogate Town side who obviously in the division below, but they’re going to fancy their chances as well, aren’t they?
Yeah, for sure. A team like Harrogate probably will have a similar squad to what they played on Saturday, so it’s going to be a strong side from them, probably. We’ve watched a couple clips and whatnot, so we know the threats they have. It’s going to be another game that we need to be fully that dialled in on, and hopefully, yeah, we’ll, we’ll go out there and give it our best shot.
It’s a very different challenge to Newcastle U21s. How are you expecting Harrogate to be different to them as an opposition?
I feel like obviously there’ll be a lot more direct and things like that, a lot more physical. Obviously in League Two that’s how the league is, and they’re playing every week like that.
So it’s a different challenge, but every game comes with different challenges, so we obviously just need to dissect it and see how we can hurt them and and obviously stop their threats and whatnot.
If you find yourself playing alongside somebody like like Dan Vost, do you kind of take that on your shoulders to help guide a younger and less experienced player through the game?
Yeah, for sure, because, like I said, I remember when I was 19 as well coming through, and every game is, like…you just want to get any game where you can, sort of thing.
Obviously, I’m proud of Vosty getting his new debut on the weekend. He’s a great player, he’s a good lad as well, works hard in training, very down to earth and humble, and he just wants to to work hard and take anything on.
The boys have been super proud of all the young boys — they’ve been robust, they’ve worked hard, they’ve really added to sessions and games when they’re played and whatnot. It was a good moment for Vosty on the weekend, and hopefully they can get as many more games as they can.
I guess it’s the fact that they can build that trust, that that more experienced players like you , if you can trust that they’re going to deliver when they come on the pitch. That’s a huge part of them, of them getting that nod, isn’t it, as well as the approval of Lee Grant as well?
Yeah, for sure, because realistically, they wouldn’t be training with us and playing with us if the manager didn’t think they were good enough. So the talent is definitely there.
Obviously they’re young, so it’s about learning and doing the right things. But definitely, if they’ve earned the trust from the manager, they’ve obviously earned trust from the players as well. So just about them performing to their best levels when they when they get their chance.
What key pieces of advice can you give somebody like Dan Vost…if you cast your mind back to the 19 year old David Kasumu, what were the bits of advice that that helped you as you were starting to break more regularly into the first team picture?
Definitely, first of all to enjoy it, because obviously, you don’t always stay 19, you know. Definitely enjoy it. Be proud of yourself, because at that age, not everyone’s playing first team football.
So yeah, definitely enjoy it and just take everything on, all the information you’re getting from, whether it’s players, coaches, just take the information on and just really try and improve your weaknesses and stuff you need to work on, because when you become older it’s a lot harder. If you start working earlier, then obviously you become a well-rounded player a lot earlier, which only benefits you.
The young players have been superb in training and games, so it’s good that they’re getting chances to play.
Is that something that you feel you’re quite good at during a match day as well, that actually, as the game’s unfolding, that you can offer those little words of encouragement or advice...is that something that comes naturally to you?
When you’re playing alongside a young player…everyone’s got different personalities, but just a little bit of advice here and there can go a long way.
When I was 19 and playing with experienced players, and they’re giving you just a bit of information, a bit of feedback, it goes a long way, because you don’t know how that person might be feeling in that certain time if they make a mistake or whatever. Just hearing that sort of constructive criticism or positivity can help and go a long way.
You’ve had to be patient, as Katherine’s alluded to, and as you talked about, in the league. Lee’s preferred Herbie Kane at the beginning of the season. You’re very different players, you and Herbie, so is it a case now of trying to show the manager you can make your mark on the side in in your own way, by doing your own thing?
Yeah, I feel like everyone knows my qualities. The manager knows my qualities, I know my qualities. So it’s just about being able to bring your qualities into the team and doing it well.
Every player has their own qualities, so it’s just about, how best can you show that? Maybe in a game it might not need that, or in a game it will need that. So it’s about just showing your best version of yourself and bringing that to the team a.
What do you think was the difference against Exeter that allowed you to do it more over the 90 minutes?
I feel like we just stuck with the task. I feel like in the first 10 minutes, we were a bit cagey, it felt like they’re on top of us a little bit with the atmosphere and just how cagey it was.
But I feel like we stuck with it, We stayed patient, and we we just really took time — and obviously we worked on it the day before, in training and whatnot — and we really just stuck with it because we knew we’re going to get chances. We knew that, OK, the spaces are here, here, here, and we just really, really pushed through it and ended up creating loads of chances.
It could have been three, four goals minimum, but it’s about also being clinical in the end, because we obviously only win it 1-0. If we’ve got that clinical edge and that ruthlessness, it could have been a lot more.
You’re one of the longest serving players at the club now. Does it feel like a a very different group on the pitch off the pitch to you?
Well, yeah, it does feel like a different group, because it is a different group, you know? So there’s different personalities, different players, and that’s just how football is. You’re going to get different changing rooms every year if there’s different signings coming in and whatnot.
But it’s a great bunch of lads, the changing room’s really good. We’ve got experience, we’ve got young players, we’ve got everyone really dialled in, and everyone’s really on the same page, because we all got the same goals, and we all want to do really well this season and have a lot of success. So that’s the one common thing that we’re all we’re all bought into it, and everyone’s on the same page with that.
