Heathcote stands firm

4:34pm Wednesday 19th September 2007

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GRAHAM Heathcote insists he will stand firm in the face of criticism from fans.

There have been calls for the Alty manager's head after Tuesday's 3-0 home defeat to Cambridge made it 10 games without a win.

But Heathcote is confident he is still the man to lead the Robins to Blue Square Premier survival.

Speaking exclusively to SAM Sport, he said: "All the people who are giving me one or two games to turn things around can play football manager if they want but I'm still confident in my ability.

"When this club were fourth bottom of the Unibond, who was brought in to turn things around? So if I was good enough for the job then, why should I not have the self-belief to think I can get it right this time.

"We have a bigger picture to look at. We've pulled this club out of the mire and want to sustain it playing at the highest level possible.

"I have been in these situations before and there's not a fan out there who will detract from my self-belief.

"If I was to leave this club it wouldn't be the end of Graham Heathcote in football. So why should I walk away from this situation just to walk straight into another one?"

Heathcote also has the backing of chairman Geoff Goodwin, who claimed he would leave the club himself if the Robins boss were forced out the door.

"Some fans have got short memories," said Goodwin.

"They need to look at what we have achieved at this club over the last five years and not be so negative. Graham is Altrincham FC."

After Tuesday's defeat, Heathcote will be looking to bring in loan players to bolster his ailing squad.

He added: "We've got to get our heads down and find answers to some major problems.

"Clearly we have major problems up front. We have always relied on Colin Little to score goals so when he had a tough time we were always going to struggle.

"The solution now is to borrow some players from league clubs but that's not a long-term solution, it's just a stop-gap."