Seasoned Surey set to shine

New Maidenhead United FC signing Ben Surey knows more than most that defeats in pre-season can be transformed into good form when results matter.

The 25-year-old central midfielder, who joined the Magpies from Basingstoke in the summer, experienced a poor sequence of pre-season results as a player with Gravesend & Northfleet.

But his side started the campaign with a 10-match unbeaten run that took them into the top three.

“It’s difficult to assess pre-season based on the results,” he said. “At Gravesend we lost something like seven out of eight friendlies, then went 10 games unbeaten at the start of the season and were third in the table.”

The former Crystal Palace pro is confident he will be fit to start the season following a calf injury sustained during a summer training session.

“I’m really looking forward to the start of the season, and I should be OK. I want to establish myself in the side and play in a winning team.

“I was quite happy at Basingstoke and I had other options but Drax sold Maidenhead United to me.

“I like the way Drax manages and the owners have done a good job with the club. The pitch is great, we have excellent training facilities and the club is moving in the right direction.

“Things are well organised at Maidenhead United and there’s a lot of positive things going on. We are starting the season with new sponsors and we have half-time penalty shoot outs and mascots involving local kids. The club has good links with the local community.”

Surey believes the defeats against higher level opposition in pre-season has helped the side improve in certain areas.

“We’ve worked hard and looked good at times and there’s no need to worry too much about the results. We were poor against Aldershot but we bounced back with a good performance against Woking and we did well in patches against a decent Reading side.

“The squad looks good. We’re definitely looking to finish in the top half this season and possibly even the play-offs.

“Drax is ambitious and his enthusiasm is infectious.

“We know it’s going to be a competitive league this season and the first aim is to make sure we improve on last season.

“But we are all focused on a top half finish and the squad is good enough to achieve that.”