Hatswell determined to build at Dundalk | Airtricity League

Hatswell determined to build at Dundalk

Wayne Hatswell believes building a squad from scratch could work out better for Ian Foster and Dundalk in the long-term, even if it does leave the former Galway United boss with a tough task over the coming weeks.

The assistant manager, who took control of first-team affairs when the Lilywhites returned to pre-season training on Monday morning due to Foster’s wife Portia having a baby in England on Sunday night, played his last game for Cambridge United at the weekend, and he stated that by assembling a brand new squad that Foster will be showing complete faith in the players that come in – something he feels which can only be positive for everyone going forward.

“We’ve been left with the task of getting in a whole new team, which is relatively unheard of,” said Hatswell. “That doesn’t make things easy, but then again you get players in that you want. Everyone will be in the same boat and everyone that turns up here is going to be wanted by the manager. I’ve just left a football club where the Gaffer took over and he technically may not have wanted everybody there, so everyone was unsure whether they wanted you or not. That causes that little bit of friction and puts doubt in players’ minds. You want every player knowing that whoever comes here is because the Gaffer wants them here.

“That’s half the battle sometimes in football,” he added. “Psychologically, they’re right, and it’s down to us then to get the right player and then to get them fit and working to our system of play that we’ve got to go forward to try to win football matches, which is what we’re paid to do.”

Commenting on his first day in training, the 34-year-old felt that it had gone as well as could have been expected, although he will have a clearer picture of where things stand come the end of the week.

“It went well,” he said. “Players wise, it went well, fitness wise, we can only gauge that probably, I would say, by the end of the week – who’s level, who’s not, and who’s where they should be. Obviously, that is something that will be ongoing. It’s a running game, you need to be very fit, and that’s one thing that we’re going to have to improve on no matter what. You can never stop improving on your fitness, you need to keep on top of players. But, as the first day goes, I thought it went well. Them getting to know me, a different voice, that’s what I wanted to try to do, get my point across as quickly as I can."

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