Yeovil Town full-back Michael Smith has said he hopes he can stay at Huish Park beyond this season.
The Northern Irishman has become an influential player having joined in September following his departure from Scottish Premier Division side Hearts at the end of last season.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s visit to Slough Town, he confirmed he would be out of Saturday with the hamstring injury which saw him miss the 3-1 defeat at home to Chippenham Town on Tuesday night.
He said: “If all things go well, I would love to be here next season and hopefully playing in the National League. That would be great and that is what the club is striving for and as a club I think we can keep getting better. Who knows where that could take us? Momentum is massive in football. You have seen it before, a team gets promoted and the next year they go again and the next year after that you are in the Football League and cementing yourselves in there, so I am really excited about what could happen here.”
On his time at the club, Smith added: “It’s been enjoyable and it still is enjoyable. We are looking to getting the job done and win the title and that is down to us, we know we have been off it these last few games but we have been brilliant all season. We can’t get away from what we have been doing all year. It is the same messages from the coaching staff, from all the players, we are not going to get too down from losing one or two games, we are still in a really strong position and we are going out this weekend to get the win.
“Fans are entitled to their opinion if we do not go out and put on a show, so I am happy for fans to say whatever they want to say. But for us in the club it is the same messages, the same positivity, as a club we have to be together and it would be nice to go and win the league with club, staff, fans, everyone at the club involved. It’s been fantastic all year and we need to continue that.
On the injury he sustained early in the 1-0 defeat to Welling United last weekend, the 35-year-old, said: “It is still a little bit sore, we don’t really have a timeframe on it yet and we are going off symptoms. I will be out this weekend definitely, but beyond that I am not so sure.”
After the midweek defeat, Glovers’ boss Mark Cooper said he would be leaning on the experienced heads in the Huish Park changing rooms to turn the form around.
Smith added: “Every player is different, some need an arm round them, some need a kick up the butt! That’s what is nice about a changing room, not every player is the same and as a group we are close knit and pulling in the same direction. We have lost two games in a row, it is not the end of the world, we just need to get back to what we were doing and what we are good at which is being solid and I am 100% sure we will start picking up wins again, hopefully starting on Saturday.“