I did not know Tom Rankin personally but I have many friends, acquaintances and colleagues who knew him well.
I have said a prayer this week for him, his family and friends and my thoughts are with all of them.
Reading what has been written about Tom and speaking with people that knew him, it is obvious to me that everyone loved him and he was an amazing, kind-hearted lad who always thought about and put people before himself.
Tom played with or against most of the players who will on the pitch and clearly he loved playing football and I am sure he will want everybody to play the game well that he and all of us love.
Today we welcome our opponents Redditch United for an eagerly anticipated local derby and that comes on the back of two useful results for us against Barwell and Peterborough Sports.
It’s clear that this group of players along with my backroom staff are willing to keep fighting and never give up, sticking together to the very last whistle and give everything we can to keep Bromsgrove in this league.
Yes we have had a few leave the club and it’s very easy for people to want to be on the gravy train when all is good and when the chips are down people start looking for excuses and pointing fingers. But it’s certainly not in my DNA to hide and quit and I am immensely proud that I can lead this Club and team into the final 6 matches with this group of boys who have each other’s back. It’s a powerful feeling.
I also want to personally thank all the support from so many fans who have reached out to me to give their words of encouragement and it’s also been passed onto the lads. There is still a long way to go there will be many twists and turns but all we can do is keep playing our way!
Today’s match is going to be emotional but shoulder to shoulder everyone together is stronger.
Finally, a thank you to the mighty Sporting fans who travelled to Barwell last Saturday and to Peterborough on a chilly Tuesday evening, it was appreciated.
