Stevenage defender talks of ‘positive mindset’ ahead of Southend United play-off
Ronnie Henry wins a header at Luton on Saturday. Photo: Danny Loo - Credit: Archant
Ronnie Henry was back in the Boro squad at his former club Luton Town on Saturday
Ronnie Henry says he’s in a ‘positive mindset’ ahead of the play-offs.
The Stevenage skipper made his first start for over a month in the 2-0 defeat at Luton Town on Saturday, a game in which manager Graham Westley made eight changes from the club’s win over Carlisle United the previous weekend.
And while the likes of Andy Bond and Chris Whelpdale have helped fill the void left by Henry at right-back since he last played at Burton Albion at the end of March due to a hip injury, the full-back says he’s now ready to get another week’s training in him ahead of a crack at the play-offs which begin on Sunday.
“[Graham] made the changes so a lot of them are rested up, which is good, and a few players have got minutes in their body,” Henry said.
“It’s a positive really, though I’m a bit disappointed with the result.
“[Bond and Whelpdale] have done well, very well. They’ve shown just how professional they’ve been.
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“Bondy hasn’t played for months and months and he filled in well. We’re in it as a squad, and we win as a squad. We’ll go into the week with plenty of confidence but we know we’ve got to improve on [the Luton performance].”
The former Luton defender added: “The idea was to play 45 minutes to see if I could get through a game because if I couldn’t get through this then there wasn’t much hope.
“I was 85/90 per cent at the end on 60 minutes and I thought it was time to come off because I haven’t played for a month and it was getting a little bit sore. But I’m in a positive mindset now and I’ve got a week’s training ahead of me. If I can get through that it’s all to play for.”
Boro take on Southend United at home this weekend in the first of their two semi-finals, and Henry added: “Southend over two legs isn’t going to be easy. Southend away, it’s a tough place to go as the gaffer has said.
“The play-offs are great to be involved in. Everyone says it’s the best way to go up, so let’s have a go at it.”
