Three clean sheets in the first three games has pleased Kidderminster's Wayne Hatswell no end. The 29-year-old centre-half has been handed the captaincy at Aggborough by Jan Molby as he tries to improve on last year's brush with the drop zone. Molby cleared the decks with 12 departures and has drafted in a whole new squad to try and compete in the top half of League Two. The bookmakers had them pencilled in as one of the pre-season favourites for relegation but, despite losing 2-1 at Mansfield last Saturday, they have still picked up a healthy five points from four games. Hatswell, who is celebrating a new three-year deal, reckons that this solid start is just the tip of the iceberg as he told givemefootball's Ian Clarkson.
Q:YOU SIGNED A THREE-YEAR CONTRACT ON THE EVE OF THE SEASON - YOU MUST HAVE BEEN PLEASED?
A:I had a year left on my deal and Jan asked me about signing a new deal towards the end of last season. To get it sorted out on the eve of the season is a big bonus for me. I have just moved to Kidderminster and I am making a big effort to be close to the club whereas previously I was travelling three hours a day.
Q:YOU HAVE MADE A SOLID START TO THE SEASON - IS PROMOTION A REALISTIC AMBITION?
A:Why can't we win promotion? We had a big clear-out of 12 players who weren't in the gaffer's plans and he has now replaced them. At one point I was one of the oldest in the squad at 29, but he has since bought in Micky Mellon, but it is still a young, youthful team.
Q:SO YOU DON'T THINK THE PLAY-OFFS ARE OUT OF REACH?
A:We had a bad season last year but at one stage we were within a couple of wins of joining the bottom pack of the play-offs. That was supposedly a bad season so who's to say we can't have that little bit of luck and reach the play-offs.
Q:IS IT AN INCENTIVE TO BE TIPPED AS ONE OF THE FAVOURITES FOR RELEGATION?
A:Everyone says that we are going to be relegated so in the bookies' eyes promotion is a million miles away. However, you always get your pundits predicting things and why can't we be one of those teams who proves people wrong. It is an incentive to be written off so we can always chuck it back at them come May.
Q:I UNDERSTAND YOU HAD A VERY VARIED PRE-SEASON IN TERMS OF TRAINING?
A:On one of the days we went to a boxing gym in Wolverhampton and that was quite an experience. We had to spar with someone of our equivalent stature but I got lumbered with Abdou Sall! He is only 6'5" and built like a brick outhouse. It got a little bit heated at one point but it was good fun. Abdou is a very strong boy and if I go back again then I think I am going to have to have some secret lessons beforehand. I might take on Dean Keates instead but the little ones are the worst!
