Team unity is key for Grant

After reflecting on his first six months at Croft Park, Spartans keeper Conor Grant feels that the club are in a far better position to progress and that belief is underpinned by his feeling that everyone at the club is pulling in the same direction. It has been a turbulent six months for the former Gretna man, seeing a change in manager, three cup exits and many different changes in personnel in the Spartans dressing room but he feels that the squad are ready to improve in the last three months of the season.

He said "We are looking better and a lot more solid as a unit now. There is more of a settled side and the new lads are settling well. There are plenty of teams in the league who have been together for years and we are still relatively new as a team but we are getting used to each other and with a settled side we will improve."

September saw the appointment of Paddy Atkinson as new Spartans manager and the experienced Tom Wade brought in to assist the former Newcastle Benfield manager and Grant feels that they should be credited with the improvement in form from Spartans. He said "There is more stability and organisation in the dressing room now. The lads are all in this together and the team spirit is there for everyone to see, that's helped all of the new lads settle in quickly I think. There is plenty of banter around in the dressing room and we are getting better as a group and that's probably the main thing Paddy and Tom have brought in."

Grant has been an ever present in the League for Spartans with former Bedlington Terriers stopper Craig Pickering making his only appearance in the Doodson Sports Cup win at Stocksbridge Park Steels and Grant is up for the challenge to keep the number one shirt. "Obviously the manager who brought me to the club was replaced and Paddy and Tom are doing things their way now and getting their squad together how they want it done. They have brought in Craig and that's good to keep me on my toes. Hopefully with a bit of time and increased competition for places we can all reap the benefits of that over the second half of the season."