Ahead of our season opener against Bowers & Pitsea, forward Nnamdi Nwachuku has spoken to the clubs media team about his hopes for the coming season, his new and existing team mates, our management team and much, much more!

Q1. Nnamdi, welcome back ahead of the 2018/19 season. How much have you missed being at West Street and how has pre-season gone for yourself?

NN: Thank you, over the 6 weeks off-season period I have very much missed being at West Street; seeing the boys and doing what we all love doing, which is being out on the football pitch.

Pre-season was a great challenge mentally and physically and I’m sure every single one of the boys feels ready and up for whatever the 18-19 season will bring, both physically and mentally after some intense training thanks to the managers and coaches.

Q2. You’ve been here a SeedGrower for a few seasons now. What has been your most enjoyable season to date and what made it so enjoyable?

NN: Each season I’ve been with the SeedGrowers has offered a totally different kind of challenge and I have very much enjoyed taking on those challenges; learning from them and moving on to the next hurdle. The last season I must say was one of the most enjoyable for me because of the belief around the club right from day one.

We desired promotion at a decent level of football and we went and achieved it; simply because of the determination and willingness to go and win every time, both in training and every game. Each week the staff came up with a plan and the players went and executed those plans every time as a team.

Q3. This is the clubs first taste of life in the Isthmian League. You’ve previously played in the same league for Maldon & Tiptree, how much harder do you expect this season to be compared to last season?

NN: We all know that this season is going to be more of a challenge than last season, a challenge like we’ve never faced before together. But we are confident that we will go on a make our mark on the Isthmian League. We have a strong team and we believe in one another. We will use this opportunity to show why we deserve to compete in this league.

Q4. You’ve scored lots and lots of goals ever since you joined West Street. What would you put that down to?

NN: I would put it down to the fact that Graeme Smith, John Pollard and Olly Murs have given me a chance within the team, and have constantly showed that they believe in me to go out and express myself on the pitch.

I cannot take all the credit, we work as a team and my fellow team mates work their backs off so that I can have the freedom to drift into different attacking territories which can leave them vulnerable sometimes. Also, the fans really push me to perform my best with their constant support and encouragement week in week out.

Q5. We have signed a few new players this summer, in addition tolast season’s Championship winning side. How have the new lads settled in so far?

NN: Coggeshall Town Football Club is one of the most welcoming, relaxed and most enjoyable clubs that I have ever been at and I’m sure the new boys can say the same.

In the changing room and out on the pitch, the vibe is automatically picked up by each new player and there is strong chemistry from day one. It’s like everyone has been playing together for multiple seasons.

Q6. The new signings have certainly added lots of competitions for places within the squad. How do you think this will affect the squad as a whole?

NN: We all understand that there is going to be a long season ahead of us and that every player has been selected to play a part. At times the game plan may not suit you and the managers might have to go with someone more suited and that is okay… you just have to work hard in training/reserve games to show that you can contribute to the side one way or another and maybe show that you have improved that weakness that took you out of the side in the first place.

Q7. We welcome Bowers & Pitsea for our first game of the season on Saturday. Bowers have been tipped by many to win the Bostik North this season, how tough do you expect the game to be?

NN: There’s no denying that the game will be tough, just like every game this season. We will not take any performances for granted. So we will go out and approach that game professionally, well prepared and organised.

Q8. The Bostik North is expected to be very tough this year. Following our back to back promotions, how do you think we will do come the end of the season?

NN: The club have waited 150 years to get to this league; we are not under any sort of pressure to get another promotion or to pull off another league championship. What we are here to do in our first season is to have a feel for it, enjoy every experience, challenge teams and compete for our right to be here.

I know that as a team we are all hungry for success so I know that whatever the outcome of the coming season, we will all have performed our absolute best and I am hopeful about the season ahead.

Are you on Twitter? You can follow Nnamdi by searching for his handle, @Nnams64.