BRAD HUBBOLD: I want to go and prove it again

Reds first-team midfielder Brad Hubbold says he wants to take his 2020/21 form into next season to prove that it wasn’t just a flash in the pan, after re-signing for the club yesterday.

Hubbold, 27, has committed to a fourth season at Borough Park and expressed his delight on getting the deal done.

“I was over the moon to get the phone call from Danny [Grainger], just to know that he wanted me on his plans,” said the South Cumbrian.

“Like most lads have said, it’s a bonus to get it done early.”

Hubbold has been a mainstay in the side since Grainger took change, and the maestro been involved in the matchday squad 92 times since arriving in 2018.

Although he’s personal had a productive couple of years, the bitterness of being denied promotion is what he notes when reflecting on his time at the club.

“It’s frustrating not getting promoted, and last season, I don’t think we really hit the ground running,” he explained.

“Hopefully, this year, we’ll kick on and get back to how we were in Danny’s first year, when we ended on that massive run.”

As a 27-year-old, Hubbold is among the more senior members of the squad, and thinks his style of play links to that.

“I sort of had to take it on my old club [the responsibilities of being an elder statesmen] because I was there for so long and I’ve just been getting my feet on the ground here,” the recent father said.

“This year, I was starting to play how I should be, a little bit deeper and dictating things.

“I’ve been getting on the ball a lot more, which benefits me because I want to be on it as much possible.”

He want on to reveal: “Danny’s big thing with me is confidence, so he wants me to go and get on it.

“Hopefully, I’ll come back this year even better and prove that last season wasn’t just a good run of games, and that I can do it for a full campaign.”

Having been played either out wide or, more predominantly, as one of the ‘number eights’ in a 4-3-3 in the 19/20 term, the switching of shapes to a diamond midfield or three-man defensive system saw Hubbold head to a sitting role, something he relished.

“I enjoyed it because I was still playing the sitting role and the idea was to keep plugging the gaps and covering the defenders,” he explained.

“I’ve been learning from Goose [Dan Wordsworth] and Sam [Smith] for where to be because it’s different from being further forward and picking up a man.”

Finally, with the new campaign coming in the autumn, Hubbold is hoping for a better start, performance-wise, than last term, in which were unbeaten but drew four and won only five of our opening nine Northern Premier League North/West Division matches.

“We probably need to hit the ground as well as we did last year, and that’s down to us.

“We need to be annoyed and channel it in a positive, go out there and be aggressive.

Read fellow Friday re-signing Ceiran Casson’s interview here.