New Wealdstone boss Neil Gibson believes his experience in senior management can help to drag the club out of the National League relegation scrap.
The Welshman was appointed earlier this week on a two-and-a-half-year deal after former boss Matt Taylor left the club to join Solihull Moors.
Taylor returns to Grosvenor Vale this weekend to face his former side and Gibson, in his first interview as manager, told the club website: “A lot of my work has been done in Wales with clubs who probably didn't have the resources or expectations that we managed to achieve with them.
“We’ve always done it (our work) with a real clear philosophy of how we want to play. That’s something I’m underpinning with the players that we have in training.
"We know how we want to play and we feel as if we’ve got the players who can play that way. They’re are a great group and really receptive.
“The way they applied themselves in training and the mood in the camp, it was nice to see that. Sometimes a change in management and a defeat at the weekend can have a negative impact; it’s great to see spirits were high, and we’re looking forward to a big game against Solihull on Saturday.”
And Gibson also explained to Stones fans what the playing style will look like under his stewardship.
He added: “There are a lot of things that underpin it. There are some characteristics I expect of my teams and characteristics I expect of the players that play for me.
“We’re very much based around the fact we’re going to work extremely hard. Teams won’t work harder than us, and we’ll look to be on the front foot.
"We’ll look to be aggressive in the way we press the ball and try to win the ball higher up the pitch, out of possession.
“In possession, my teams have always been teams that control the game with possession of the football. We’ll look to try to have more possession than the opposition. We’ll look to try to be attacking in the way we have possession.
“Wealdstone has a great history in terms of Stuart Maynard and the brand of football he played. We’re not too dissimilar to that in terms of how we see playing football. We’re very clear on the fact we want to keep the ball in possession but with a purpose.”
On the warm welcome from the club’s ownership, Gibson was delighted with how he had been received since making the switch and spoke in glowing terms of chairman Rory Fitzgerald.
“This is why it felt like it was exactly the right decision," he said.
"Rory’s a real, genuine person who really cares about the club, and that passion he has for the club came through in abundance when I spoke to him, which certainly made me feel this club means a lot to certain people.
“Since I’ve come in, everyone has welcomed me. It feels like the right fit because of how nice everyone’s been. You can see how much everyone cares about the club.
"That’s a responsibility I really take to heart and I’m going to now use everything within my power and work as hard as I possibly can with the knowledge that I’ve got to bring success to the club.”
