JAKE CAPRICE may have just uttered the words that struggling sides’ players should probably steer clear of saying at this time of the year, but the Woking defender reckons confidence is the only way out of their current predicament.
The 24-year-old believes the Cards squad is too good to be relegated into the National League South and knows if they work hard enough, their individual quality will keep them out of danger.
That’s not to say Caprice is foolhardy. He had just seen his team taken apart 3-0 at home by Tranmere Rovers, a second-half lesson that perhaps demonstrated the club’s battle against the drop won’t be won or lost against the sides going for promotion.
Woking face a daunting February with trips to Lincoln City and Forest Green around the corner, but Garry Hill’s troops have been well-drilled – they can’t dwell on defeats against the National League’s big clubs.
Caprice said: “When we lose games, which we will, we can’t afford to let it get to us. [On] Tuesday we didn’t play too badly and we’ve got to keep telling ourselves that there’s bigger games to come.
Confidence
“The squad is very, very good. We have real competition all over the field and you’ve got to be on your toes because someone is always there to come and take your place in the team.
“The main aim is to stay in the league – really, other than that, anything extra is a bonus. Our aim is to stay up and push on next season. But first and foremost we have to not get relegated.
“We’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us, but I’m 100 per cent confident in us staying up. We’ve got too many good players to get relegated to be honest. As a team we’ve got a lot going for us and a good manager too.”
Caprice says there’s a big divide between the former Football League giants of the division and the rest.
He adds: “We’ve got to play Solihull Moors soon and it’s those sort of games we need to be getting the results in. Nobody is expecting much when we play the big clubs, but that’s not to say we can’t beat the sides up there.”
Manager Hill has never been relegated in all his years in football and his defender doesn’t think he’s about to have an unwanted first on his CV.
Caprice added: “We all know the gaffer has never gone down in his career, so we’re determined to keep it that way.”
