Exclusive Interview – Calvin Brooks

This has not been the start of the season that we hoped for.

Pre-season was tough, one of the toughest I’ve ever done, and we prepared as well as we could. So, to come into the games and perform the way we have done has been disappointing. No disrespect to the three teams we’ve played, two of them have beaten us, but these are teams we should be comfortably beating.

My injury has been a setback for me.

To train for five or six weeks of pre-season, after three weeks of personal training beforehand, only to pick up an injury in the last pre-season friendly, has been really tough to take. All that effort is taken away from you. I’ve worked to get through this injury, probably more than all of my previous injuries, because I’m so desperate to get back on the pitch. Our early losses has only increased this level of urgency.

The club has spoken about this season’s objectives,

and it’s not a secret that we all know that promotion is an absolute must. This is what’s expected for a club of our size, and that’s the standard. We need to turn things around quickly.

The manager needs players who will run and outwork teams.

That’s what can help us stay in games, and, although this season will be different with us being the favourites in most games, if we outwork teams we’ll always give ourselves a chance.

I don’t believe in pressure.

I think it’s a bit of a cop-out. Maybe I’ve played a lot of games, but I don’t feel pressure going into games. If you’re playing a match where you’re favourites, you’ve got to make that count. You’re favourites for a reason. If you can’t get yourself going and get the results, you won’t get anywhere.

We’ve looked timid at some points.

In our first game, for example, we looked too afraid to make a mistake. Evesham United, on the other hand, were fearless and played to win. But, we’ve had conversations about this as a team and now it’s about turning things around.

Just like any league, the Southern Premier League is tough in its own way.

Every week you face teams that want to beat you, and this will be the case even more this season with us being the favourites in most games. There will be extra motivation from these teams, but, without any disrespect, last season we played against teams with a completely different quality. There’s only so many excuses you can use. As a player, you have to get yourself going, and only then can the team come together and get results.

What keeps me going? My love of Weymouth.

I love playing for Weymouth. I love being at the ground, seeing familiar faces and chatting to people. This is my 12th season at the club and it feels like a family to me – and, most importantly, I want to win. I’ve had two years of back-to-back promotions with this club – winning is addictive. I do anything I can to win, and the rest of the lads should be doing the same.

The fans are very important, but

there’s something that the players need to realise. They’ll only give you so much if they keep seeing performances that are sub-par. You can’t expect the fans to carry you through every game. They;ll get on your side if you give them something to cheer about. We missed a massive opportunity at home to Evesham in front of a big crowd, and we let them down again last week at Sholing.

As an individual, you have to take a level of responsibility.

If you’re not going to win a game, make sure you’re not the one to lose it. We’ve got match winners in our team, such as Brandon Goodship, Jake McCarthy and Reuben Reid, but the rest of us, including myself, need to make sure we put in consistent performances and take responsibility.

Interview by

Jack Webb