It’s been just over a year since Scott Laird has been with Weston, following a 11-year spell in the Football League.
After fruitful spells with Stevenage and Preston North End, Laird signed for Scunthorpe United, Walsall, on loan twice, and Forest Green Rovers before signing for The Seagulls ahead of the 2019-20 season to move closer to home.
In his first season with the club Laird finished as top scorer with 15 goals in 31 appearances in all competitions, including netting his 50th career goal against Merthyr in the FA Cup, before results were expunged due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Laird bagged his first of the current campaign at Tiverton Town in September, to make it 16 goals in 42 matches in total, and in the second part of our question and answer session with him, he talks about playing for the club, how he has been getting through lockdown and what his biggest aspirations for the future are.
What does it mean to you to play for Weston and in front of the fans?
I love playing for Weston, it's one of the biggest clubs around in this area and growing up with my connections from the club with my family. I feel privileged to play for Weston and I hope to lead the club to bigger and better things and I am loving every minute of it. The gaffer and I have been given a really good opportunity to take over a really good football club at different levels.
Who are your best friends at the club?
All of them are to be fair, I have known Luke Purnell and Dayle Grubb for a long time. Obviously the gaffer and I get along really well. We have known each other for three and half years now. We are really close and I get along with Caney (Jacob) as well. I really like Caney. He's a good lad as well.
With Weston looking good in all areas of the club all the way through to the first team, and as someone who came through an academy, what advice would you give players who are just starting to play for the youth sides?
If they work hard, put in the effort and the hours and have a smile on their face we will give them a chance, me and the gaffer. Last season and this season we’ve already given Callum Eastwood, Bailey Kempster, Ryan Jones, Travis Turner and Ben Griffith chances. If you are good enough, you are old enough and we will give you a chance. If you are good enough to play for the first team you will play for the first team and there will be a lot more to come. The gaffer and myself are not afraid to give those young lads the opportunities. They should know and feel really confident that if they are doing well we will give them that platform and hopefully push on.
With the club back in lockdown how did you keep fit during the last one and how will that help you during this lockdown?
We’ve got a very good group I will say. We’ve got a very good group of players that we can trust to keep themselves fit and ticking over. We sent them away with a new plan to keep themselves fit when we do restart in December.
With England back in lockdown do you have a book you are reading or a Film/TV Series you are watching?
I’ve been loving the Tottenham documentary on Amazon, that’s been really good with Jose Mourinho, I’ve learned from that and also I love my golf, especially The Masters (held recently in the US). But if you want a series to get into and you’ve got time to twindle away, I love Prison Break. I could watch it over again if I had to.
How, as a footballer, do you keep yourself motivated in this pandemic?
I think just watching documentaries, trying to broaden your horizons. Go and watch PlayBook on Netflix, Michael Jordan’s new documentary. Some people might want to switch off from it all which is totally fine as well. It’s a really good time to switch off. We had a busy start to the season so switch off from football, keep yourself ticking over fitness wise but if you love the game go and watch these documentaries and do things that will help you progress tactically and mentally.
What are your ambitions and aims for the future?
I want to develop my football career, go and coach as high as I can. Go and see how high I can get up that ladder in the coaching, managerial side of it. I am starting to really enjoy myself again. I have been really happy to come out of the pro game and come to Weston and my job at Millfield, I am in a very happy place. I am really enjoying my life, obviously Covid isn't helping at the minute but we just have to deal with that as a world and get through it, which we will, but I am really happy with my life at the minute.
And who would chose to be in your dream five-a-side team?
I would have in a goal a goalkeeper called Andy Goram. He was a Rangers goalkeeper, I absolutely loved him. He was not very big but he would save everything, he was brilliant. Brian Laudrup was my favourite ever footballer growing up, again a Rangers player, a left-winger, so he would be a flair player. I would probably put in Paul Scholes, he would himself about and he could spray a pass around and then I probably have Lionel Messi. He is just incredible, the best player of all time. Along with a ball-playing defender let's go Sergio Ramos, just because it would be really good fun as well. He is just absolute carnage, he can do one thing amazing and he can then get sent off. It will be entertaining with Sergio Ramos so that will be my five I'd say.
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