I recently interviewed club captain Charlie Horlock and he reviewed the 2022/23 season and looked forward to the 2023/24 season. As ever Charlie was totally open and honest in his reflections and was very keen to provide all Hitchin supporters with his unique insight from inside the dressing room.
Charlie considered that we had a really solid and successful season as we had really struggled in 2021/22 and we were clearly moving in the right direction. We were building the strength of the squad and to finish twelfth in the league and reach the Herts Senior Cup final meant we did better than was probably expected. He wanted to stress how good the recruitment had been as the season progressed and felt the management deserved to be complemented as it is easy to criticise when things do not go so well.
Charlie told me how a good new signing can lift the squad and gave the example of Diogo Freitas-Gouveia. The players immediately saw his quality that showed in training as well as on match days. But Charlie also wanted to say that quality alone is not enough and players need good character. It is essential any new player fits in with the squad. Hitchin have a very tight nit squad and Charlie said there is no room for any ‘’bad apple’’ who would be ostracised. As captain Charlie works hard to keep the players closely bonded. They go out socially and have things such as curry nights while the also get involved in gaming together.
Charlie said the Hitchin squad is easy for him to manage off the field and he sends regular texts to the players. He has a close relationship with manager Mark Burke and is always looking to be a bridge between Mark and the players. He said that Mark encourages players to have their say and he feels that Mark’s man management is very good and the open door policy does work. Charlie told me he is always prepared to have words with players if necessary but will also be supportive to those who may have problems on or off the field. He spends time talking to players who may be on the bench and encourages them to work hard and assures them they will get their chance. He said there are no ego problems at Hitchin and players have remained loyal while waiting to get back in the team. He gave the example of our goalkeeper Josh Mollison who took it on himself to do extra training to improve his game and the proof was in the excellent performances Josh gave when standing in for Charlie.
The reason Charlie missed a few games at the end of the season was due to laser eye surgery he had to have after earlier surgery in the close season had not been totally successful and his vision was impaired although looking at how well he played you would never have known. He assures me the vision is now fine.
Going back to the recruitment Charlie explained that it does take time for new players to gell with the rest of the squad because they have to learn respective strengths and weaknesses. Through training sessions and games the understanding improves and Charlie felt our very strong finish to the season was because the squad were really on the same wavelength and the gelling was complete. Charlie also believes momentum is important and we had that as the season came to an end. It included being confident at managing games.
Looking ahead to the new season Charlie said he was more optimistic than at any time in his Hitchin career. The fact that so many of last season’s squad have committed to play is vital as if you have a large number of new players it can take up to 10 games to come together. In our case the players already know each other. Charlie had texted the players at the end of the season thanking them for their efforts and hoping they would sign on again and he received positive responses so is not surprised how well the recruitment has gone. But to quote Charlie he said he was ’’buzzing’’ so many have committed.
Charlie feels we can continue to build on last season’s progress which means we must aim for the top half of the table and that means we can hopefully aim for the play-off’s. We can be optimistic but he warns everyone it is not a given and we will need to work really hard in what will be a strong Central division.
Finally Charlie wanted to thank the Hitchin supporters who remained loyal and supportive even when things were not going well. The players really respected this and it added to the feel good factor at Top Field. Charlie also really noticed the increase in attendances and the players are determined to reward them. He will continue to give me interviews throughout the new season to give supporters an inside view.
So as ever many thanks to Charlie for giving up his time and giving a great insight in to what happens behind the scenes at Top Field.
BY ROY IZZARD