AS WOKING gear up for their debut in the Vanarama National League play-offs next week, chief executive John Katz praised the team’s fans for their role in the super season.

Katz told the News & Mail: “The fans have been amazing. It’s always nice to have the big home crowd because, over time, this place, The Laithwaite Community Stadium, needs to become a fortress for us. 

“But even our away support has been sensational. We brought Dorking Wanderers their biggest crowd ever three weeks ago. And then you think about the hundreds of people who’ve made the trek over time to Chesterfield and Wrexham and Notts County and everywhere else that we’ve been. 

“The players, the manager [Darren Sarll] and the coaching staff have formed a very strong bond with our supporters. 

“It’s something that, in the three years I’ve been around the club, is unlike anything I’ve seen here.

“But you also have to look at the character in the squad. Even if we’re not at our best, and it hasn’t happened often, but even if we do lose a game, that connection between the supporters, the players and the staff is so good because there’s an understanding there.

“If you watched the game at Notts County, when we were 3-0 down, the players were battling in stoppage time just to try to get something. And that’s something the fans appreciate, because people want to see really sensational effort, character and commitment – and that’s what this team is built around.”

For the full interview, see the 27 April issue of the News & Mail.