SCOTT ALLISON: We’ve got unfinished business
Reds striker Scott Allison says there’s unfinished business to attend to after he re-signed with the club on Friday.
Allison, who will begin his ninth season at Borough Park next term, once again agreed to stay with the club this week to ‘finish what we started.’
The 30-year-old discussed a wide range of topics, from the frustration of our current situation, his partnership with Reuben Jerome and much more.
Speaking over the phone on Thursday, Allison said: “I’m obviously happy to sign on again, I spoke to Danny on Sunday and he basically talked over he and Ruddy’s [Steven Rudd’s] plans.
“He told me to have a think about it but I just turned around and said: ‘I’ll sign tomorrow.’
“There’s unfinished business from the two years that we’ve lost, so there was no way I was walking away or looking to go elsewhere until we’ve finished what we started – which is promotion.”
Just prior to the November lockdown, our no. 10 suffered an innocuous shoulder injury in training, which coincided with the Northern Premier League taking six-week break.
It was strange situation for the forward in an already frustrating period, as Grainger’s men hadn’t yet to hit the heights of the gaffer’s first season in charge.
“It was a freak injury but then we sort of had that little break which did me good,” he explained.
“I only missed one or two games with it but then when I got back, we stopped.”
Going onto discuss the currently suspended 2020/21 further, he added: “It’s just been a frustrating two years and everyone knows we haven’t done as well with this season being stop-start.
“Not knowing what you’re doing affects everyone and I think it affected us more than others.”
One positive this campaign has been the arrival and success of new striker Jerome, with who ‘Scotty’ struck up some serious chemistry.
The pair have 12 goals between them in our nine league outings this term and boast strikes in cup competitions to boot.
“Rueben’s a really good player,” Allison affirmed.
“We clicked straight away, there was no ‘I want to score more than you.’
“I think my role in the team changed slightly but I quite enjoyed it; I enjoy passing on goals to people as much as scoring myself.
“There’s no selfishness, Reuben and I both like to score but it clicked and worked well.”
Even at just 30, the striker is the oldest member of our first-team squad and despite the fact creeping up on him, feels it was a natural progression with having a such a youthul changing room.
“In the first season with Danny and Ruddy, when Gaz left, I all-of-a-sudden became the oldest player in the squad!”
“As soon as spoke to Danny when he first came in, I knew I was a senior player and he wanted me to take on more of a leadership role,” Allison revealed.
“We all became senior members of the squad in transition and we just had to take on that responsibility.”
Finally, our long-time frontman is well and truly in the club’s record books, ranking as our joint-third all-time top goalscorer with 127.
Allison is well aware of the landmark he could very realistically reach, needing 29 more strikes to become our second-highest marksman, but insists he hasn’t got a one-track mind from the milestone.
“I know I’m closing in on the top but it’ll be my ninth season next and I don’t see myself playing anywhere else.
“I can’t remember how many I’m behind first place [actually 66 to match the great Billy Charlton] but there’s always someone who comes up to me at Borough Park to tell me that I’m now so many goals behind,” he joked.
“Although it’s not really on my mind, if it comes, it’ll be something to look back on in the future when I finish playing as a proud achievement.
“It’s not really in my mind during a season, it’s all about goals to get wins but when it’s all said and done, it’s something I could look back on very proudly.”
Read fellow Friday re-signing Brad Carroll’s interview here.
