USL Feature
Friday, April 6, 2012
For the Wilmington Hammerheads to find success in their return to action last season, a lot of different pieces had to fall into place, and Coach David Irving didn’t have much time to assemble them.
As it turned out, one of the biggest pieces was one of the last to be added.
It was just 12 days before their 2011 USL PRO season began that defender Gareth Evans officially became part of the Hammerheads, but the Welshman’s impact on and off the field could be felt throughout a season that saw remarkable success.
“Yeah, it was brilliant,” Evans said this week. “Obviously it was the first season back after taking a season out, and I think our crowd and our players both exceeded expectations, especially at home because we’ve got a really great fan base at home. I think we went 9-3 at home, so the majority of games we won, and we had a really great atmosphere, so it was really good and played a hand in us winning, which was really good indeed.”
Evans had originally been set to play for the Los Angeles Blues a year ago, signing with the club in December, 2010, but while he enjoyed working with Coach Charlie Naimo, things weren’t quite feeling right and the two parted ways. That opened the door for the Hammerheads, and things finally fell into place.
“East coast to west coast is very different,” Irving said. “It was late on and we were able to work out a deal to bring him from L.A. and he did very well for us last year and we rewarded him with a two-year contract here, so he’s part of the furniture and part of the establishment.”
Evans certainly appreciated that Irving decided to bring him on board. Having just turned 25, he continues to bring a passion for the game that combined with his experience both in Britain and the U.S. makes him a tough proposition for opposing attackers. And while sometimes Irving needs to rein in that exuberance, the competitiveness Evans shows on the field has been a key to his success.
“If we had 30 games, he’d show up for 30 games,” Irving said. “He talks, he’s aggressive, he plays the game the way it should be played. Yeah, he’s a little feisty, but as a forward you score goals and be passionate about it, as a defender you’ve got to be passionate about defending, it’s an art form and sometimes you’ve got to put your body on the line, you’ve got to block a shot, and he’ll do that. He’ll stand up and be counted, if he has to block a shot, he’ll do that as a defender.”
For his part, Evans believes the chemistry he and the rest of the Hammerheads had last season played a major role in their success. A big fan of social networking site Twitter, Evans can often be found chatting and joking around with current and former teammates, showing how close the bonds between the Hammerheads’ teammates became.
“I just think if people are enjoying themselves, they’re going to play a lot better than if they’re not enjoying themselves, so I always try to have fun, have a bit of banter with the guys and stuff,” Evans said. “I think we had some great players last year, the likes of Luke Mulholland, but we had a great group of guys, and for the first time in a long time I was playing for a team that didn’t have any cliques. We all kind of hung out together off the field as well as on the field, and we got on really well. That’s something that definitely helped, and it’s something we’re definitely looking to continue this year.”
With Evans and returning midfielder Paul Nicholson leading the way, the Hammerheads certainly have hopes of even bigger success this season.
“It’s what we’re aiming for,” Evans said. “Last year we had the surprise element about us, but that was a great achievement. We did overachieve at times, but this year people are going to come to Legion Stadium, they’re going to know what they’re getting themselves in for, they’re going to be more prepared for it.
“It’s definitely going to be harder this year to maintain what we did, and even better than that, but it’s definitely something that we’re looking to do with the guys we’ve brought it.”