As the Blues prepare for back-to-back home games at Brunton Park, we caught up with Stephen Wearne to reflect on Tuesday night’s disappointment, the mood in the camp, and the belief driving the squad forward.
Tuesday’s result against York was a tough one to take, and Wearne didn’t shy away from that — but was clear that the team have moved on with purpose.
“It’s embarrassing for us as a squad and nowhere near the levels we want to be at. But we’re going to get nothing from sitting about, moping about. We’ve really got to prepare properly for that one [against Rochdale] and put it right.”
That preparation was already in full swing as the squad returned to on Thursday, and Wearne described a determined and focused environment.
“We sat down beforehand and went through the York game, the obvious things that could have been better — then got everyone out on the grass, get everyone moving, we’re in good spirit.”
That mentality has been key all season, and even with recent setbacks, he believes the group has what it takes to respond quickly.
“We’ve got a good morale about the team, really good group of players and staff... we’ve just got to clear our heads moving forward.”
With two games coming quickly — Rochdale on Saturday and Hartlepool on Wednesday — the focus has shifted to turning Brunton Park into a stronghold once again.
“We need to make this place a fortress and make teams dread coming here.”
It's a message rooted in experience, too. Wearne knows what it’s like to visit Brunton Park as an opposition player — and what it can feel like when the crowd is fully behind the team.
“I’ve been an opposition player coming here and when it gets rocking and they’ve got that momentum, it’s a really, really difficult place to come.”
And that home support has stood out to him since the day he arrived.
“Even after we’d been relegated, we had a game here and there were still six, seven thousand fans turned up. They sell out everywhere we go. The support they show on the road is tremendous.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s opponents, Wearne expects a similar test to Tuesday night but believes the team is better prepared this time around.
“From what I’ve heard, they play the same shape as York, try and build from the back — but we’ve got a bit more time to prep for Saturday so we’ll be better.”
Still, the emphasis is on focusing on themselves first.
“We’ve got some amazing players, we’ll look at what we can do, but we’ll also look how we can stop them.”
It’s been a demanding schedule, but Wearne refused to use that as an excuse — and said the team is embracing the challenges of a busy season.
“Cliché as it sounds, games come thick and fast, and we've got to make sure we're better.”
With the squad hungry to respond and the crowd behind them, Wearne’s message is simple: stay positive, stay together, and get back on track.
“It was one game that we've lost — we know we need to be better, but everyone came in with smiles on faces, good spirits, we've just got to go again.”
