WINNER LUKE TAKES ALL ON HIS BID FOR REDEMPTION

LUKE GARRARD was planting the seeds of success well before their promotion final victory.

- Matt Badcock

He'd greet his players with a cheery, Morning winners!' or, 'How are we, champions?" Breakfast was eaten to a backdrop of low intensity music, bubbling away, sending out subliminal messages like Jamie Foxx's track Winner.

"You know you looking at a winner, winner, winner I can't miss, can't lose, can't miss "You know you looking at a winner, N winner, winner Cause I'm a winner, yeah, I'm a winner." "Last year after playing Ebbsfleet at their place in September, I set a negative seed by saying: We are relegation fodder," Garrard tells The NLP.

"In life, you can set a seed whether it's goings to be positive or negative. I set that seed last year. That was a big thing I learnt in my reset coming away from it my language, my demeanour, the culture of the club is very much how you set it.

"When I walked back in it was about winning.

Winning, winning, winning. People can say, 'No it's all about the grass and recruitment'. 100 per cent it is. But I do think that plays a part." Garrard's reset came last summer when he left the Wood after nine years in charge.

The 39-year-old had led them on epic FA Cup runs, including toppling Bournemouth away to set up a fifth round trip to Everton in 2022.

His sides had also achieved three National League play-off campaigns with one final trip to Wembley where they lost narrowly to Tranmere Rovers.

But last season unravelled and, weeks after announcing his intention to step down, the club were relegated to Step 2 on the final day of the season.