TUDORS: Hemel boss Bircham happy for his team to stay 'under the radar'

Hemel Hempstead Town have been showing some good form in pre-season
Hemel Hempstead Town boss Lee BirchamHemel Hempstead Town boss Lee Bircham
Hemel Hempstead Town boss Lee Bircham

Lee Bircham is happy for Hemel Hempstead Town to continue their pre-season preparations “under the radar”.

The Tudors are gearing up for the new National League South campaign, which kicks off on August 14 with a trip to Maidstone United.

And they have been in good form of late with a 3-1 win at Berkhamsted being followed by 3-1 success at Kempston Rovers thanks to goals from Matt Bateman, Dominic Morgan-Griffiths and Josh Castiglione.

They then made the long trek to take on Northern Premier League side Morpeth Town last weekend and returned with a 2-0 victory with JJ Lacey and recent signing Alfie Cerulli on target.

And while boss Bircham, who saw his team draw 0-0 with St Ives Town at Vauxhall Road on Tuesday night, is pleased with the direction his team is heading in, he insists no-one will be getting ahead of themselves.

“We aren’t going to lull ourselves into a false sense of security,” Bircham said.

“We are more interested in how the group are getting on because they are new to each other.

“At the moment, we are just making sure everyone gets plenty of minutes.

“Touchwood, things are going well but I’ve been in football long enough to know that things can change quickly.

“I have been involved in teams who haven’t won a single game in pre-season but then start like a house on fire and likewise I have been involved in teams who have had a great pre-season but then start poorly.

“We are doing things nice and quietly and under the radar and it’s a case of so far, so good.”

The trip to Morpeth allowed some time for some team bonding as well as more match action and Bircham added: “The beauty of it was that we could stay away on the Friday night, which meant a bit more time together.

“We had the early kick-off and it was a really good weekend. I think we got a lot out of it.

“We had a good Friday night, a good performance on the pitch and the boys then had a night out together so it was well worth the trip.”

The Tudors host National League side Dagenham & Redbridge on Saturday.

That is followed by another home friendly against Watford U23s next Tuesday before the pre-season schedule concludes at National League North outfit Gloucester City on August 7.

Related topics: