All to Play For

...they will go into post-season with light hearts and easy minds.

“I don’t think there’s any pressure now,” said Pilgrims’ forward Lewi Alessandra. “The gaffer said at the start of the season, ‘The minimum I want is the play-offs’, and it’s good to have a target like that; it’s looking like we’ve done that now, and we’ll be going in as the seventh team. I wouldn’t say we’re the underdogs but, if you finish seventh, technically you’re the lowest side in there. 

“We’re just excited to be in there and we don’t feel the pressure. We just want to do it for ourselves; our fans. We’ve had a good long season and we just want something to show for it now, so it’s just an excitement, more than anything. 

“We’re all buzzing. That’s the one thing we do have here. Everyone is pulling in the same direction, even the lads who are not playing. It is hard for them – I’ve been there when I was younger and you’re on the bench, and it’s not great when you’ve been training all week – but everyone still wants the same thing.”

Lewi has made more appearances for the Greens this season than any other outfield player – part of a seven-man season-long core that has taken the Pilgrims to the edge of glory, all of who are managing the strains of a hard campaign.

“It’s just about being professional and looking after your body,” said Lewi. “You’re never going to be constantly 100%, so you can only benefit if you’re looking after your body. 

“The coaching staff and management do everything they can to rest you. It’s the combination of being looked after from above and on a personal level.”