YM adjusting to life just right
THE REASON for Horsham YMCA' s fantastic form of late is that they have adapted to life in the Ryman League, according to Phil Fitzgerald.
The tenacious left back's return from injury has coincided with the club tightening up at the back and going on a six game unbeaten run.
Having torn his calf muscle in three places during pre-season, Fitzgerald came on for ten minutes in the Sussex Senior Cup clash with Horsham.
His first start of the cam-! paign was in the 2-1 win over Tooting & Mitcham on November 21, when Matt Duffield also returned to the starting line up for the first time.
Along with the likes of Dean Garden, Glen Woodburn, Ellis Hooper and Nick Levett, Fitzgerald has been very solid in front of talented stopper Dean Ruddy.
Fitzgerald commented: "I think it has gone better than expected to be honest.
"For everybody at the club the main priority was safety at the beginning.
"If you ask John Suter] now it would still probably be safety, Tommy [Sampson] would be talking about play offs but I think a mid table finish would be very good for the club."
The YM defender was not the only one to be missing at the start of the campaign, Duffield also had a long term injury and Woodburn, Hooper, Garden and James Grant all missed out early on with Ruddy and Andy Ottley not at the club.
"The season didn't start well but we had a hell of a lot of lads missing with injuries and suspensions," said Fitzgerald.
"They've come back and we've got a bigger squad now."
He added: "I think the recent good form is down to the fact that everyone has adapted to the style of football.
"The pace of the game is a lot quicker than the County League," he explained.
"We used to have a lot more time to get the ball down and play, maybe we were trying that too much to start off with.
"Maybe it was naivety when we tried to over play at the start of the season.
"When we were one or two up against Godalming we tried to play it out but Tommy told us to lengthen our game, he is a big professor of that."
Sampson has had a lot of experience of coaching at this level, and higher in non league football, which Fitzgerald believes has been invaluable, along with having team mates who have played above County League standard before.
"The lads that haven't played at this level have adapted and are learning from the likes of Ellis [Hooper], Tom White, Scott Kirkwood - even though he's a young lad - and Matty Russell on the pitch," remarked Fitzgerald, who was quick to praise team spirit.
"The dressing room atmosphere is spot on," he said.
"Everyone is having a crack and involved in it, John and Tommy as well.
"It is a great atmosphere which is helping.
"If you can have a laugh and a joke it puts you at ease, it helps relax new lads coming in."
YM have a tough run of fixtures on the horizon, starting with a visit from Cray Wanderers tomorrow (Saturday 13th January).
They also face Fleet Town, Dartford and Met Police but Fitzgerald is relishing the opportunity to take on big sides.
"It's hard to say how we will do but the vein of form we are in at the moment we can deal with it," he said.
"There are some big sides coming up but against the likes of Dover - who put us under a lot of pressure - we were defending for our lives, which I for one quite like."