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  • Why Does Ground Grading Always Come as a Surprise?

    Why Does Ground Grading Always Come as a Surprise?

    Posted by James Bartaby

    It’s that time of year again. No, not when I write my now seemingly annual article (sorry, I’ll try and get back to it!), but rather the time when clubs anxiously await their fate as to which division they’ll be competing in the following season. Why, though, does it always come to this?

    A wise man once said:

    There are two certainties in life; death and taxes.

    Well, in nonleague football there are three: postponements, reprieves and ground grading.

    And it’s the last item on that list that is the talk of the moment right now. In the National League South and North, three playoff contenders are in danger of falling foul of the Football Association’s strict guidelines regarding the standard of facilities.

    Poole Town and Hungerford Town – fifth and sixth respectively in the South – along with Darlington, fifth in the North, have all been told they cannot compete in the playoffs as they do not meet the requirements for covered seating in the National League. The standard says the following:

    The minimum covered seated accommodation must be 500. These may be located in two stands of which at least 250 shall be seats located in one stand, with no stand having less than 100 seats. These seats may be inclusive of Directors/Committee and press seating.

    All three clubs have appealed their punishments.

    Darlington’s appeal centers around the fact that the ground grading guidelines were amended in May 2016. Prior to then, it was accepted that a club could enter the playoffs with temporary seating, as long as they had planning permission and a detailed plan for the installation of permanent seats. The statement goes on to say:

    This change in the requirement for permanent covered seating was only brought to the Board’s attention in the past couple of months. By the time the Board was fully aware of the requirement, it was not able to act because of the timescales involved and the lack of funds available.

    I’m sorry, what? The board were not aware of the requirements until a couple of months ago? Surely if your club is on such a phenomenal trajectory (they have achieved three promotions since coming into existence in 2012) you would be used to reading these grading documents, and would be aware of any changes to them? Even if you thought you were fully across it, you would read and re-read them just to make sure you passed muster, no?

    Don’t get me wrong. I do feel sorry for The Quakers, as theirs is the latest incredible ‘phoenix club’ story, and hopefully this oversight on their part will serve only as a temporary roadblock on their path back to the Football League.

    In the cases of Poole Town and Hungerford Town, it seems both clubs have been so busy concentrating on meeting the requirements to remain at Step Two that they have failed to prepare for the eventuality of promotion. Both clubs faced the prospect of demotion at the end of the season if they didn’t achieve the B grade required to play at Step Two. Happily, the two clubs did meet the March 31st deadline, but now find themselves being held back in the South.

    In the case of Hungerford, they are some 133 seats short of the requirement (I haven’t been able to find out about Poole), and according to their official statement:

    Our focus has always been on making the ground grading requirements for this league and that alone has been monumental but we assumed that adding extra seats would be arguable.

    Again, what? You assumed the extra seats required would be arguable? Please!

    While all three clubs have appealed the decisions, it’s hard to see how they can hope to win them. The rules are quite clear after all. The ground grading documents can be downloaded from the FA website, and state clearly what is required.

    Apologies to the three clubs mentioned, this article isn’t necessarily aimed at them, but they are the three highest profile clubs currently affected. It happens every year it seems; a club realises it doesn’t meet ground grading and we see frantic appeals and fundraising as they desperately scrabble around to upgrade their ground so they can either take a promotion or remain at their current level.

    Currently, if a club gets promoted, they have until March 31st the following season to ensure their ground is up to scratch for the level they’re competing at. In the case of the National League, you need a Grade B to play in the National North or South, and a Grade A to play in the National League. However, there is something of an anomaly here. For instance, as we have seen in the three cases here, you can compete at Step Two temporarily with a Grade C, as long as you achieve Grade B by the March deadline. Failure to do so will result in your club being demoted back down to Step Three, regardless of your finishing position (one of many reasons we see reprieves for other teams).

    What that means, of course, is that you effectively need to have a Grade A at Step Two if you have any ambitions of reaching nonleague’s top flight. This is a massively expensive undertaking, especially for clubs achieving back to back promotions, or multiple promotions in a short space of time. It has been reported that it will cost upwards of £150,000 just to install the extra seats required, on top of what these clubs have already spent just to meet the requirements for Step Two. As I say, expensive.

    In addition, to play in the top flight you also need a minimum capacity of four thousand, and the ability to increase that to five thousand. I have been unable to ascertain how long clubs get to carry out the necessary work. Currently there are two clubs plying their trade at Step One with capacities less than four thousand – Solihull Moors with 3050, and North Ferriby United with just 2700. Moors have plans in place to increase their capacity, and I know NFU were looking at a potential new home when promotion started looking likely, although they have been relegated after just one season, and there is still a small chance that Moors could join them.

    What needs to be done to avoid this in future?

    The obvious solution to the problem is communication. The FA should make it abundantly clear what is required on a division by division basis, i.e. a circular should be sent at the start of every season to each club stating their current grading, and what – if anything – needs to be done should the club wish to go for promotion. Let’s not forget, promotion isn’t every club’s ambition every season, but for those who do have aspirations of moving up a level, they should be acutely aware of what is required so we can avoid these embarrassing situations in future.

    One other possibility is that the rules are tweaked at the top of the nonleague game, and clubs are allowed to start the season with a Grade B, but must attain Grade A by March 31st. With the extra income from gates and TV, that shouldn’t be a problem. However, this scenario is unlikely due to the very fact that the National League is now broadcast by BT Sport.

    The flipside of that would be to do away with the leeway currently afforded to clubs lower down the ladder, i.e. you have to have the grade before you can get promoted. However, that is totally unworkable in my opinion, and would lump massive and unnecessary expense on clubs, as they would need the grading for the division above even if they have no immediate plans for promotion.

    My final solution would be to have clubs apply for promotion from Steps Two, Three and Four, in the same way they have to from Step Five down. That way, we would all know where we stand from an early stage. However, that immediately encounters a problem: the playoffs. From Step Five downward, only one team gets promoted. There are no playoffs at all. For a club to be promoted, they have to have applied (meaning that they already have the necessary grading), and they must also finish in the top two in their division. That is a recent change, as my local team Bracknell Town finished fifth in the Hellenic Division One East in 2012-13, but were promoted as the highest placed club to have applied. Enough of that tangent though!

    As things stand in the National South, seventh placed Hampton & Richmond Borough (long term readers will know my affection for the mighty Beavers!) will enter the playoffs should Hungerford and Poole fail in their respective appeals, although that has yet to be officially confirmed by the league.

    All in all, it’s a flawed system, but one which is doing the best it can from the FA’s point of view. The whole reason the March 31st deadline exists is to give clubs that leeway in light of a rapid – and often unexpected – rise through the divisions. Clubs shouldn’t be held back because of a few seats, or because the running track is the wrong width (that has happened in the past!), they should be encouraged to achieve and, in some cases, over achieve.

    The ultimate responsibility, though, lies with the clubs themselves. They need to familiarise themselves with what is required of them, not only for the division they are currently competing in, but also for the one above if their short term ambitions include getting promoted. Let’s not have this circus at the end of the season anymore!

    Posted on April 17, 2017, in Opinion, UTL Archive and tagged Darlington 1883, Darlington FC, Featured, Ground Grading, Hungerford Town FC, National League, National League North, National League South, Poole Town FC, Promotion, Relegation, Vanarama National League. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.

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  • Under the League Interviews…Wayne Carlisle

    Under the League Interviews…Wayne Carlisle

    Posted by DaveBurin

    The last 17 years have been quite the ride for Northern Irish wing wizard Wayne Carlisle. And the genial, engaging Truro City assistant talks me through a playing career which began at the lofty heights of a packed Selhurst Park and ended with a bittersweet mixture of triumph and early retirement at picturesque Plainmoor. But Wayne’s journey has been about much more than his performances at 3pm on a Saturday.

    There have, of course, been back-to-back promotions to the Football League, with Exeter City and Torquay United. A dramatic end-of-season run which somehow preserved Bristol Rovers’ (then) unbroken run of 83 years in the league. And, of course, success as Steve Tully’s right-hand man at Truro City. But Wayne has also been coaching the next generation of players to succeed, whether in the beautiful game or in the world of business. Here is his story.

    DB: You joined your first club, Crystal Palace as a teenage trainee. How difficult was it leaving your home in Lisburn, Northern Ireland to join the Eagles? And what are your earliest memories of life at the club?

    WC: At 15-years-old, I didn’t find it tough at all. I didn’t look at it in that way, I saw it through a child’s eyes. I was just excited to have the opportunity to play professional football. Looking back on it now I have my own children, and work with children, for someone at that age, moving was a big thing.

    I went into digs with another Irish lad named Kieran Loughran, and we lived together for about three years, so having that company made it a lot easier. And I was a young lad, training every day, and it was all I had ever dreamt of doing. It was a brilliant experience.

    A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: Wayne in his Palace days.

    A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: Wayne in his Palace days.

    DB: Your league debut at Palace came against Birmingham City in February 1999, and you became a regular fixture in midfield. What do you remember about your debut? And what was it like playing and training with established stars like Atillio Lombardo and Saša Ćurčić?

    WC: On my debut? I just remember the noise. Walking onto the pitch, having never played in front of so many people before, that was memorable. As soon as any game kicks off, you’re into the action and you play automatically from your habits in training.

    I think I took training with that calibre of player for granted. I was used to it from an early age and assumed that it was just normal. But in retrospect, it was a really big deal and a privilege to get to work alongside people of that quality.

    I definitely tried to learn from them, though. Atillio Lombardo was especially helpful. Obviously, he played the same role [winger] as me, and he would spend time talking me through things – via his interpreter, most of the time! We discussed topics like good positioning, different types of crosses and how to best use them, so he was particularly helpful.

    DB: Scoring a first senior goal is a special moment for any player. Yours came in October of that year, in a 4-0 drubbing of Portsmouth. What was that moment like?

    WC: That was pretty special. As I remember, the ball was on the edge of the box, and I just worked off instinct and hit it on the half-volley. Luckily enough it found its way into the net. It’s a cliché, but, you can’t describe it. It is the best feeling in the world at that age. Experiencing that was a real buzz.
    I didn’t have a celebration planned, though. I wasn’t really that type. Whatever I did to celebrate – I can’t remember exactly – I’m sure it was pretty boring! Not up to the standard you see nowadays!

    DB: Palace at that time were a club who went through managers pretty quickly. You played under the likes of Terry Venables, Steve Coppell, Alan Smith and Steve Bruce. Who got the best out of you as a player, and why?

    WC: My best time at Palace was under Steve Coppell. He was another winger like me, so he was great in giving me individual support about that role, and was not demanding of me. He understood that I was young and finding my feet, and let me develop at a rate which was right for me, without putting me under any pressure.

    Those other managers were more focused on results. Obviously, Steve [Coppell] wanted good results too, but they were more demanding. As a 19-year-old, I maybe wasn’t ready for that kind of pressure. For me personally, Steve [Coppell] was the best man-manager of the bunch.

    DB: You joined Division Two side Swindon Town on loan in the following season, and were an important part of helping the side to a respectable mid-table finish. Did you enjoy your time at the County Ground, and were you keen to head out on loan?

    WC: I loved my time there, actually. I was getting guaranteed first-team football at Swindon, and we were playing in front of decent crowds at a good standard. As a team, we were having a fairly successful spell, as well. At the end of my loan, I actually tried to extend it, but the Palace manager had changed from Steve Bruce to Trevor Francis. He decided to recall all of Palace’s loan players back, to have a look at them.

    Going out on loan was something both I and Palace were keen on. I had been used to first-team football at a young age, and wanted that feeling of training all week and playing on a Saturday. I was desperate to have that again, and the club thought it would be a good idea for me.

    DB: In March 2002, you made a permanent switch to Bristol Rovers. In your first full season, the club avoided relegation from the Football League by just 3 points, winning 3 of their last 4 games to survive. What was that nervy run-in like?

    WC: That was really tough. We had signed a lot of very good players that season, and for some reason, the team just didn’t click. We had so much quality in the squad, so in the latter part of the season, the players were just looking at each other thinking ‘we really shouldn’t be in this situation’.

    We signed Andy Rammell partway through the season, and he was a hugely important addition and scored some crucial goals [including 4 in those final three games]. I pitched in with some goals myself, and we survived. But it wasn’t enjoyable, and certainly not a situation which a club of Bristol Rovers’ stature should have been involved in.

    Wayne was vital to Rovers' survival in 2002-03.

    Wayne was vital to Rovers’ survival in 2002-03.

    DB: In the following campaign, you notched an impressive 8 goals from midfield, and provided the service that helped striker Giuliano Grazioli reach double figures. Do you think that was one of your best seasons in the game?

    WC: I was certainly productive that season, and I did my job well, so it was one of my best years in a personal sense. Rovers’ manager at that time was Ray Graydon – another right winger, funnily enough! So again, he was a manager with a good understanding of what was needed from me, and I fit into his style of play. That obviously made it a lot easier for me to have a successful season.

    DB: You joined Martin Ling’s Orient revolution from Rovers, and played in the first half of the Promotion season of 2005-06, before you were sold to Conference Premier club Exeter City. Do you feel proud to have been part of Orient’s success, or were you unhappy at having missed out on that end-of-season glory?

    WC: No, I wasn’t unhappy about it. I played my part in Orient’s season, and obviously whilst I would have liked to have been there to celebrate at the end, the move to Exeter was a mutual decision. Exeter were looking for someone in my position, and I had worked with [then City manager] Alex Inglethorpe at Leyton Orient previously.

    He said he wanted to take me down there, and as I wasn’t getting guaranteed regular games at Orient at that time, I thought the move would be worthwhile. I wished them all the best, and off I went. And I was just proud of what I achieved in the early days.

    I left the O’s on good terms. I actually went back and trained with Martin after breaking my leg, before I rejoined Exeter [in October 2006]. It was actually Paul Tisdale who re-signed me there!

    DB: Your time at St. James’ Park was certainly a successful one. The Grecians reached the Playoffs twice and were promoted to the Football League in 2008, thanks largely to your crucial strikes against Torquay United in the Semi-Finals. Did that feel extra special after what happened with Orient?

    WC: Yes, to an extent. However, Orient’s promotion was not something I was especially conscious of missing out on because I had still played a part in it. The nature of football is also that players move on.

    It was nice to see the journey through with Exeter. Especially so as we had come very close in my first season with the club, losing the final at Wembley [to Morecambe].

    DB: What was Paul Tisdale like to play under?

    WC: Paul is a fantastic gaffer and an especially good man-manager. He understood the players well as individuals and took the time to get to know us. I had a very good relationship with him.

    DB: You repeated the Conference promotion feat the following season with none other than Torquay United, but retired less than a year later, in January 2010. Were injuries, or a new career path the main reason behind retiring at age 30?

    WC: It was a combination of both. I had damaged ligaments in my knee, around Christmastime [of 2009]. The medical advice I received was that the injury was going to seriously inhibit my days of playing football, in the near future. At that point, a job had become available, teaching the game in a college. I had taken on board the advice of the specialist who warned that the injury would stop me playing at Conference level, at some point.

    The game usually spits people out, and I didn’t want that to happen to me. When the opportunity of this college role came about, I decided to leave on my own terms, and in my own way.

    Wayne in action for the Gulls during his promotion-winning stint.

    Wayne in action for the Gulls during his promotion-winning stint.

    DB: Outside of the game, you are still Director of Football at Ivybridge Community College in Devon, and have had the likes of Paul Scholes running a session, as part of your initiative to improve the school’s football academy. So what are the essential things that you think young players need to know about the game?

    WC: They need to understand how the game functions. So they need to realise how invasion games work. Game understanding is a key thing. It is something which the top players possess, and a lot of younger players don’t have. Work ethic is also crucial, as is a passion for actually playing football.

    Players also need to take on information and apply what they have learnt in training and matches as well. But what we try to do at the college is not just about developing footballers. We actually look to develop people. They get strong values from us, so that whether they are in football or business, or whatever route they take in the future, those individuals will have the skills to make a positive contribution.

    DB: In 2011, you returned to play a handful of games for Truro City, and you must have liked the place, as you came back to Treyew Road three years later as Assistant Manager to Steve Tully. How did the move come about? And what was it about Truro City that made this the right club for you?

    WC: When I first took the job, I wasn’t sure it was right for me to be honest! I had seen my pathway after playing as working in youth football. Working with players in that development phase is something I really enjoy.

    The Truro City position came up when Steve Tully – who I had played with at Exeter – contacted me. He said the job had come up and asked if I’d be interested. My initial response was ‘not really’!

    I didn’t think this role was part of my journey, but Steve convinced me to go along and stand with him on a Saturday. And I had to be honest with him, I enjoyed it! It’s a role I’ve been happy with ever since, and the club has had some real success, which has tied me to it.

    Being involved in senior football again has also reignited that competitiveness in me. You kind of lose that when you work in the development phase, because the aim is to develop players in the long-term, and winning a game on a Saturday is not a major focus. You don’t experience those positive short-term results.

    Having played football for 12 years professionally, that competitive spirit is always in me somewhere. It doesn’t just disappear. Joining Truro gave me the opportunity to ignite that fire again and gave me that spark that I had probably missed.

    DB: You and Steve have proved a formidable team, winning promotion from the Southern Premier Division last season, defeating St. Neots Town in the final. But how do you two differ in your approach, tactically and as man-managers?

    WC: We both have our different views on the game, but we’re also pragmatic about our approach. Steve and I both have an idea of how we would like the team to play, but we realise that sometimes our circumstances and the level we’re working at means that can’t always be translated onto the pitch.
    But we don’t let ourselves get bogged down by that because the aim is to win games of football. I think part of the reason we’ve been a successful partnership at Truro is a willingness to sacrifice a bit on our ideals of how we think football should ideally be played.

    Giving his players some vital instructions as Truro assistant.

    Giving his players some vital instructions as Truro assistant.

    DB: That’s fascinating. So how do you think the way Truro line up differs from how you would play ideally?

    WC: We line up to compete with the opposition, first and foremost. Tactically, we set about trying to disrupt their game, and as the match goes on, start to impose how we want to play on them. The pitches at this level dictate what we can do, somewhat. We’d like to ask our players to play the ball out from the back and through midfield, but that isn’t always going to be possible.

    Sometimes we have to be more direct than our ideal style would be, and on occasion, we’re required to be a more physical side as well. Those things are dictated by the opposition, the level and the pitches we’re working on.

    DB: The success Truro City have experienced with you in the dugout is bound to mean that your stock is high. Is the long-term aim to take on a manager’s job within Non-League, or do you prefer the assistant role and having the work at Ivybridge?

    WC: No, that isn’t my aim. Steve [Tully] does all the man-management work, and dealing with the agents – things in that area. I just enjoy being out on the grass with the players, coaching them. I like watching our opposition and coming up with tactical plans. Those are the aspects I’m happy doing, so I don’t think I could see myself going into management.

    Then again, I hadn’t seen being an assistant manager in adult football as part of my career path. So I could never say never, but it would take a lot to get me off the training pitch and away from spending that time teaching players. It’s what I love doing – at any age group and any level.

    DB: What do you enjoy doing outside of football? And was there ever a career you considered, aside from playing the beautiful game?

    WC: Oh dear, I don’t get any time outside of football Dave! [*laughs*]

    I enjoy being with my family. I have two young boys, and I love spending time with them. They’re my release from football.

    With regards to a career outside of football, I wouldn’t have a clue what else to do! It’s been my life since I was 15, and had been all I ever dreamt of doing as a little lad kicking around in Northern Ireland. I feel privileged and proud to have made a career in the game, but I never had any other occupation in my head, and still don’t.

    Thank you to Wayne for his superb insights into a fascinating life in football. Best of luck to Wayne and everyone at Truro City for the rest of the season.

    You can follow Wayne on Twitter, as well as Ivybridge Football Academy, whose website can also be found here.

    All images are accredited in the ‘Description’ section for the photos.

    Posted on February 20, 2016, in Dave Burin Interviews, UTL Archive, Vanarama NL South and tagged Bristol Rovers, Crystal Palace, Exeter City, Featured, Interviews, Leyton Orient, National League South, Non-League, Torquay United, Truro City, Wayne Carlisle. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.

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  • Under the League Interviews…Carl Piergianni

    Under the League Interviews…Carl Piergianni

    Posted by DaveBurin

    It was no surprise when Carl Piergianni was named Boston United’s Player of the Year at the end of the last campaign, and it was a given that his face yet again adorned the National League North’s ‘Team of the Year’. A tough, talented and combative force at the heart of ‘The Pilgrims’ defence, Piergianni is as articulate, measured and likeable off the pitch as he is solid and skilful on it.

    We discuss everything from Carl’s early memories as a Peterborough United fan, to learning the ropes in the Northern Premier League with Spalding United, a brief appearance for the first-team of his boyhood heroes, the experience of relegation at Corby Town…and much more. With Boston pushing for promotion again this season, there’s no better time to hear from one of the division’s hottest prospects.

    DB: You’re a Peterborough lad, and spent your youth career with the POSH. What are your memories of supporting the POSH growing up, and what do you remember about being a young player at the club?

    CP: I have really good memories of supporting the club as a youngster. One of the first games I remember going to was when Peterborough played Darlington at Wembley in the playoff final [in 2000]. They won 1-0 and Andy Clarke scored the winner and that was one of many great memories of being a Peterborough fan growing up.

    Being a youth team player at Peterborough United was great as well. To be named Captain during that time was a great honour and then to get offered a pro contract – at my hometown club – was fantastic. It was exactly what I’d always dreamt of.

    A youthful Carl during his Peterborough days.

    A youthful Carl during his Peterborough days.

    DB: Despite coming through the ranks at London Road, your first taste of senior football came 20 miles north at Lincolnshire club Spalding United. Were you keen on heading out on loan to play mens football? And was it tough to adapt to the physicality of the Northern Premier League, as a young player?

    CP: I was very keen to go out on loan, personally. The advice I’d give to any young player now is that it’s vital to go out and get experience of playing in mens football, as early as possible.

    Doing so made me the player I am today. I became a lot stronger, a lot more physical – so I definitely recommend going out and playing first-team games, rather than sitting on the bench or player under-21 matches.

    I enjoyed the toughness of the NPL. I’m quite a physical player and don’t mind getting stuck in. It was important to learn how to use my body in those kinds of games, and also to adapt to a game which actually meant something.

    When you play in reserve games, obviously you want to win, but it doesn’t really mean anything. However, when you go into a club like Spalding and it’s a proper first-team game, the 3 points are vital and the team were trying to survive relegation [from the NPL Division One South]. You quickly learnt that both performances and results really meant something.

    DB: In 2010 you had your first taste of the Football League back at Peterborough, but it was just a single game. What are your memories of that sub appearance against Rochdale? And do you feel you deserved more first-team opportunities at London Road?

    CP: At the time, I don’t think I was ready to be starting games for Peterborough. I wasn’t quite good enough at the time, and I was only a young lad – so I don’t hold a grudge against anybody at the club. There were much better players there than I was at that point. Peterborough were challenging to try and get up into the Championship, so it was difficult for me to get a game.

    With a debut, people always say ‘it’ll happen when you least expect it’. And I remember just being sat on the bench, and [then manager] Gary Johnson suddenly just told me I was going on. So I was suddenly just standing on the sideline, my knees shaking, and just waiting to go on!

    DB: You joined Altrincham on loan later that season, in early 2011. The club’s awful start to that season meant they ended up relegated from the Conference Premier, but you were a regular fixture in the side, as results improved. So was Alty an experience you enjoyed or not?

    CP: Very much so. Altrincham’s a great club. As you said, they had such a bad start to the year that it was hard for them to claw their way back up the table. There was a big gap of points between them and safety at one point, but during the time I was there Alty won a fair percentage of the games we were involved in, so it was actually a period I really enjoyed.

    Credit to Altrincham, they’re back in the National League now and as with Spalding, I felt it was a club which did a lot to help develop my career. The players there were a very close, tight-knit group. Robbie Williams at the back, Sean Densmore (who’s now Alty captain) at full-back, and Damien Reeves – they were really good players, and everyone there ensured I loved my time at Altrincham. There were no cliques in the changing room, which was great – everyone at the club just got along really well.

    DB: Aged 19, you moved to my local club – Stockport County! You played in almost every game that season, as the club stabilized themselves in the Conference Premier. But you had three different gaffers in that one season – Dietmar Hamann, Willie McStay and Jim Gannon. How did they all compare?

    CP: That was an interesting experience. Dietmar Hamann and Jim Gannon were polar opposites. Willie was the assistant under Didi Hamann, so he was familiar to us already, and his management style was similar to Didi’s.

    Didi had a more relaxed approach than Jim Gannon did. He’d change the team a lot, go with different tactical approaches and was very keen on rotating the squad. He was a lot more laid-back in training and gave the players free-reign to play as they wanted to. Jim was at the opposite end of the spectrum. He knew exactly what tactics he wanted to employ in every part of the game, and stuck to a certain way of playing. So, two deeply contrasting managers!

    Carl in action during his season at Edgeley Park.

    Carl in action during his season at Edgeley Park.

    DB: At County, you scored your first league goals in senior football, getting four in total. What do you remember about your first two, both scored in an exciting 3-3 home draw against Hayes and Yeading United.

    CP: I just had a bit of luck and managed to score two! (*Laughs*). The first one just came to my feet and I slotted it in. As for the second, I just remember being completely surprised after scoring again! Sadly I didn’t have a celebration planned, I think I just raised a finger into the air and ran off.

    DB: You moved to Corby Town in October 2012 after just over 12 months at Stockport. You helped the side to some excellent results in that early period, and scored 4 goals in your first 5 games! Why do you think you fit into that side so well? And what caused your sudden goal rush?

    CP: I always thought I was a threat from set-pieces, and having moved down a league, where the defensive marking wasn’t always as good, I found it a bit easier to get goals than I did in the Conference Prem.

    I also had the benefit of a giant centre-half next to me in Paul Malone, so their biggest player would always be marking him and it’d give me a chance to go up against someone a bit smaller! I managed to get on the end of balls quite a lot, and luckily a few of them went in.

    DB: Corby were extremely unlucky to be relegated that season, going down on Goal Difference – and just by a solitary goal – below Histon. As a player, how do you cope with that kind of a setback? And did the club’s drop to the Southern Premier League influence your decision to leave?

    CP: That was a really tough time for me personally, and for everyone at Corby Town. I’d really enjoyed being at Stockport, and I was sad to have to leave the club. I chose Corby because I’d moved back home and wanted a local club, to try and steady myself again.

    That season, I thought all along that Corby would comfortably avoid the drop. We had an okay squad, and I certainly thought we were good enough to compete in the division. We played some good football at times and looked like we were going to avoid the drop, but unluckily went down by such fine margins. All we needed was a point in any of the games that we lost, which was tough to take.

    Once the club went down, I made the decision that I wanted to play in the Conference North (or higher) in the following season. As soon as I spoke to the people at Boston United, I knew that joining them was the right move for my career.

    DB: In May 2013, you headed to York Street, home of your current club, Boston United. In that first season, the club finished 6th in the Conference North, and you were part of a formidable defensive unit, alongside the likes of Scott Garner, Conor Marshall and Netan Sansara. What were those guys like to play alongside?

    CP: It was interesting, because when I signed for Boston I was the only centre-half at the time, and then the gaffer told me he was bringing in Scott, who’d been captain at Cambridge United the year before. Playing alongside Garns* [*Scott Garner] was great, and he’s challenged me and brought my game on a hell of a lot. I’ve really enjoyed playing alongside him, and the other lads you’ve mentioned.

    DB: Going back to the beginning of that season, your competitive debut for The Pilgrims was in a 4-1 win away at Edgeley Park, home of your former employers Stockport County. Is it extra sweet to beat one of your old clubs, or is it no different to any other 3 points?

    CP: There’s always something extra there when you play an old club. You want to try and show that club what they’re missing! The main thing is always getting the win, but personally it was really special to do that at Edgeley Park.

    DB: Last season Boston improved on that 6th placed finish, ending the season in 3rd place – before the narrowest of play-off losses to Chorley. The Pilgrims have been a little inconsistent so far this season, but do you feel this squad has the quality for another play-off finish…or maybe more?

    CP: Definitely. I think we’ll achieve at least a play-off spot this year. We’ve been a bit hit and miss at times, but the quality across this group of players is good enough to be up there. It’s about getting a sustained run of form. We’d gone five games unbeaten – with four wins in there – before the North Ferriby game [a 4-3 loss on 7th November]. But when you have those frustrating results, you need to bounce back. That’s absolutely vital if we want to finish in the play-offs.

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    Boston’s defensive dynamo in action against Stalybridge Celtic.

    DB: Absolutely. And alongside yourself, who would you say are the main danger men for Boston. Who should we all be watching out for?

    CP: In terms of goals, you can’t look past Dayle Southwell. He’s already on 12 for the season. But he’s only one of the really good strikers here. Mark Jones is so hardworking up top, and he’s something of an unsung hero for us. We’re certainly not short of options in attack.

    From set-pieces, me and Scott Garner chip in with quite a few goals, so I think as a side, we always pose a threat – whoever we’re up against!

    DB: You’ve made it into the Conference North/National League North ‘Team of the Year’ two years running, and at 23, you still have a long career ahead of you. Are you looking to stay with Boston in the long-term, or is the aim to keep performing well and hopefully interest a Football League side.

    CP: I always hope that one day a Football League side will be interested in me. But Boston have treated me so well, and I’ve always had good dealings with everyone at the club. I couldn’t ever envisage leaving for another club at this level. For me to even consider moving, the interest would have to be from a club at the top end of the National League [Premier], at the very least.

    Living here is important for me, as well. I’m close to home, I have work outside of the game and there’s football at a club I really enjoy being a part of. When it comes to Football League interest, though, I don’t think anyone [at this level] would be able to turn it down.

    DB: We’ve talked about the National League North. It’s a division with some lovely old grounds and some pretty impressive new stadiums. Is there an away trip you especially enjoy – either for the results you get there, the location or what kind of away support the Pilgrims fans bring?

    CP: Stockport’s probably the best away ground I’ve played at. When we played at Edgeley Park on the opening day of this season [a 2-1 defeat for Boston] the atmosphere was electric, and as a player, it’s great to be involved on the field when the ground is like that.

    Tamworth is another trip I always enjoy. We always get an excellent away following there, and [The Lamb Ground] is a really tight ground, the fans are right alongside the pitch, and it’s a fixture where that traveling support always makes a lot of noise!

    DB: I know from Twitter that you like a bit of Ibiza. So what else do you enjoy away from football, aside from soaking up the sun? And what job you do outside of playing the beautiful game?

    CP: I like to travel. And not just to Ibiza! I’ve been around Asia and traveling is always something I’m looking to do come the end of the season. I try and save my money so I can see as much of the world as possible. I always like pre-season but we stay here, which isn’t quite as exotic!

    Outside of football, I work for Molson-Coors, the Brewery, as a sales rep. I go into convenience stores and Co-Ops as an account manager for them. And it keeps the money in that I need, as someone playing football part time.

    Aside from all that, I like the gym – though that’s also a necessity when you’re playing football – and like everyone, I enjoy a bit of golf in the summer!

    Thanks to Carl, and best of luck to him and everyone at Boston United for the rest of the season. You can find the Pilgrims defensive rock on Twitter @CarlPidge.

    Posted on November 17, 2015, in Dave Burin Interviews, UTL Archive, Vanarama NL North and tagged Altrincham, Boston United, Carl Piergianni, Featured, Interview, National League North, Spalding United, Stockport County. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.

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  • Under the League Interviews…Kurtis Guthrie

    Under the League Interviews…Kurtis Guthrie

    Posted by DaveBurin

    Right now, Kurtis Guthrie is the toast of The New Lawn. With five goals already this campaign, the Jersey-born forward is skilful, powerful and regularly contributing vital goals for the current leaders of the National League. Having begun his career at Jersey club St. Clement, 22-year-old Guthrie has experienced time in the Football League with Accrington Stanley, promotion from the Conference South with Welling United, and last season helped Forest Green Rovers to the highest finish in their 126 year existence. And this time, they’re aiming to go even further…

    Friendly, candid and measured, Guthrie talks me through an action-packed career which belies his young years. From his first ever goal for Southport, (“a deflection”) to lifting a championship with Welling United (“the best group of lads”), his shameful treatment by Bath City, and much more…this is the FGR star’s story, in his own words.

    DB: Growing up in Jersey, were there many footballing opportunities for youngsters on the island? And who did you support, either locally or further afield?

    KG: There weren’t really many opportunities, no. At ages 14 and under, there are a few tournaments, but no real opportunities to push on from there. I would love there to be more for the kids. In Jersey, I think there are a lot of technically sound, very good young players – but it’s hard to get used to the physicality you can get in football. We weren’t getting to play against boys from the mainland.

    I didn’t really support a team. In Jersey, it’s all local clubs. My favourite club in Jersey is St. Clement. I played for them when I was younger, and then when I started in mens football. Over [in England], I’ve just always enjoyed watching good football – whoever the teams are.

    DB: In 2009, you broke into the first-team for St. Clement, who are in the Jersey Premiership. You scored almost a goal a game for the club, which is an amazing ratio. How did you manage to adapt so quickly to physical senior football, at just 16?

    KG: I always enjoyed playing football above my age group. I started playing u-12s when I was about 8 years old, and a couple of years later, for the u-14s. When I reached 16, I didn’t really enjoy playing with people of my own age – I was excited by the challenge [of mens football]. I was always quite tall as well, so I could handle the physical side of the game.

    I found the transition easy, really. I didn’t find mens football too difficult, and I preferred it to playing with people my age. And the better the players around you are, the better you play too. As a young player, I think the quicker you can start playing senior football at any level, the better stead it will stand you in. Playing in the park with my friends had become a bit too easy!

    Anyway, I spoke to my Dad about ‘playing up’ for the mens team, and he encouraged me to. I’d been at the club for a while, so everyone at the club knew me and what I was capable of, and they were happy to throw me in.

    DB: In 2011, you joined League Two side Accrington Stanley. How did the move come about? And what were John Coleman and Paul Cook like to play for – each were in charge for part of your year at the club?

    KG: When I was 17, I moved to Trinity – another club on the island [of Jersey]. Whilst I was there, there was a bloke called Eamonn Elliott, who had played under John Coleman some years back. He told me ‘you deserve a chance in England’. I’d had that said to me before, so I didn’t really take note of it at first. By then I was working – doing my apprenticeship as an electrician – and I’d almost given up the hope of breaking into professional football. As that season ended, I got a phonecall from Stanley, saying they wanted me to come over and I went over there. After about 10 days there, the club offered me a deal, and I took it!

    It’s hard to judge those managers, because I feel that I was stitched up a bit by the club. I was told that Stanley were bringing in another striker, for me to learn from, and I signed under that pretense. That never happened, and I played up front on my own throughout.

    John Coleman did try and help me to adapt, but when Paul Cook came in, we just didn’t get on. I’m not sure why, but I do think we’re completely different people. About four months before the season ended, Stanley told me I was going to be getting a new contract at the end of the season, and then a week before it ended, Paul [Cook] pulled me into his office and just told me ‘I don’t want to give you anything’. For me, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I didn’t feel I was improving at Stanley, because I didn’t have the support system I needed.

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    Kurtis in action during his season with Accrington Stanley.

    DB: You’ve almost answered my next question, but I’ll ask it anyway!

    Stanley sent you on loan to Southport for part of that season, and didn’t renew your contract at the end of the campaign. Do you feel that you were given a fair chance to prove yourself at Accrington – or not?

    KG: I do think a lot of the reason that period didn’t work out was down to myself, as well. I didn’t have that guidance, and had I known what I know now, I would have looked to go on loan somewhere else – preferably for 6 months. At Southport, I only started 3 games and came on as a sub twice. I was only there for a month, so I should have gone out on loan again, or even extended my time at Southport.

    I take responsibility off my own bat, but for financial reasons, a club like Stanley – at that time – couldn’t give me the support you need in the situation I was in.

    DB: Whilst at Southport, you got your first goal in the English game – a vital equaliser in a 2-1 win over Alfreton at Haig Avenue. What are your memories of that crucial strike?

    KG: I remember the ball coming over, I took it down and came inside, and then shot towards goal with purpose. It took a deflection, but it went in!

    It was obviously a nice feeling, but I think at that time, I only appreciated the experience for a moment. It was the same when I made my [Accrington] debut away at Northampton. I don’t think I realized the magnitude of those moments. I was just a lad who’d come over from Jersey, wide-eyed, just wanting to play football. It’s a shame, because I look back now on some of those early moments and how much they should have meant, and I think I took them all for granted – because I didn’t know any better.

    DB: Talking of goals, you scored a hat-trick on your debut for Bath City in 2012, against Maidenhead United. You had a very successful few months with the club. Did you enjoy your time at Twerton Park – and did you consider staying with the club long term, before the Welling move came about?

    KG: Obviously the hat-trick was a nice moment for me, and I was fortunate to have my sister – who was living in Bath at the time – there watching. For quite a while I was very happy at Bath. I was enjoying my football and the club was a good step for me rebuilding my game, and trying to find out what sort of player I was hoping to become.

    I wanted to stay at Bath, but because I was young, the club felt that they could string me along. I was on a monthly contract at the time, which was fine for a while because I was just happy to be playing games. Then, about a month after, I said to them that I was looking to commit to the club long term, and they said they’d give me one more month-to-month contract, and then sort out the longer-term. I said ‘OK’ to that.

    Then, after they were knocked out of the FA Cup, the Chairwoman at the time [Manda Rigby] stopped talking to me, the coaches were avoiding me. I went in to see the Chairwoman the night before one training session, and said ‘if this doesn’t get sorted by the weekend, I’ll walk away, because this is my last game [on month-to-month] anyway’.

    They promised to have a meeting with me after the training session, but as soon as the session ended, everybody left the training ground. People at the club weren’t answering my phone calls, and I just went on Twitter and said that it had been a pleasure, and I wished Bath City all the best, but that my time there was over. As soon as I’d tweeted that, I had phonecalls from the Chairwoman saying ‘We would have sorted something out, but there’s no going back now’. I explained that I’d given them ample opportunity to do that, and then I went back to Jersey, to collect my thoughts.

    That’s when [then Welling United manager] Jamie Day got in touch. He’d expressed interest in me before, and we got on well. After those two weeks, I flew back over to the mainland, and signed for Welling for the rest of that season. That’s probably the best decision I’ve made in my career, and without a shadow of a doubt, Jamie has done the most for me of anyone in football. Now he’s up at Forest Green [as Assistant Manager], I’m just over the moon that I get to work with him again!

    DB: You were instrumental in Welling’s promotion that season – the club won all of your first 11 games in the side. Why do you think you fit so well into that Welling team? And what are your memories of the day you clinched promotion to the Conference Premier?

    KG: I’d played briefly for Welling in pre-season, before going to Bath – and so I’d already met quite a few of the players. I was also living in Peterborough, when I signed properly for Welling, and ended up carpooling with the captain, Lee Clarke, so I was instantly made to feel welcome.

    The Welling boys were the best group of lads I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with. That team spirit was something I’d never experienced before. Obviously Welling isn’t a club with lots of money, so Jamie had brought together lots of players who loved playing football and wanted to work hard for each other. Jamie knew that money wasn’t what motivated us – the guys in the squad were motivated by one another. It was just like playing with 18 of your mates!

    I think that spirit is what won us promotion. In terms of individual players, we probably didn’t have the best team in the division, but we had the best collective team unit. We knew one another’s strengths and weaknesses, and how best to work together.

    We won the title away at Boreham Wood, in the penultimate game of the season. We went there needing a point, and every one of us in that changing room beforehand just knew that this was the day Welling would be promoted. We drew 1-1 and did it!

    Our last game of the season was at home. Knowing we’d already won the league, and playing in front of our own fans was a great experience. Welling may not have loads of fans, but they’re loyal supporters who sing their hearts out. They’re fans that any player would be happy to play in front of.

    DB: At Welling you picked up a fair few yellow cards, but you’ve still never been sent off in your career – as a player, do you have a strategy for being able to be quite a tough, imposing player and taking the odd foul for the team, without stepping over that line and getting sent off?

    KG: It’s difficult. I feel that I get punished a bit on the pitch by opponents. I always seem to end up in the wars, so I make sure I give out my fair share as well! That means sometimes getting booked, of course.

    I’m on four yellow cards so far this season – so just one away from a ban. However, if you’re a player who puts yourself in where it hurts, sometimes the decisions are going to go against you.

    It’s a physical game at this level, and everyone knows that in the National League, you have to do the ugly side of the game sometimes – and with that comes a few bookings or even sendings off.

    Skrill Premier

    A familiar sight: Kurtis in on goal for Welling United.

    DB: The Wings finished 16th in the club’s first season in Non-League’s top tier. One of your teammates in that side was Loui Fazakerley, who’s now manager of the club. Did he strike you as someone who was destined to end up in the dugout, or were you surprised?

    KG: That season was a funny one. Up until Christmas, we were in the top ten, and then we picked up a few injuries, whilst a few boys got moves to other clubs.

    DB: Did you have quite a small squad?

    KG: Yeah. Financially, we couldn’t hold onto those players. If the club had some more financial backing, and could have brought in a few more players to fill the void when we had exits or injuries, it would have been a completely different season.

    And ‘Faz’? First and foremost, he’s a great bloke. He’s also very into his fitness, and has always been a model pro. Within the younger players, there would always be someone that he would look to and try and help them along. He doesn’t demand respect – he just gets it.

    I wasn’t at all surprised to see Loui step into the manager’s job at Welling. It’s a great opportunity for him, and a great fit for the club as he knows the place very well, and has been at Welling for years.

    DB: You joined Forest Green Rovers last summer. How did you find the transition from part-time to full-time football, and more importantly, how did you cope with the fact there’s only vegetarian food on offer at the ground?

    KG: [*Laughs*] The transition from part-time to full-time football felt strange, but I’d already done it once – when I joined Stanley. At Welling, we trained three mornings a week, in my second year. So it was only adding an extra day. The tougher thing was trying to up my intensity levels.

    I think some players make out that the transition [between part-time and full-time training] is a bigger deal than it is. It’s been nice to be in full-time again. As soon as I joined Forest Green, I vowed that I wouldn’t take it for granted, and I don’t feel that I have.

    The veggie food there isn’t really for me. I just make sure I eat big before I go to training!

    DB: You had an excellent first season with the club, finishing with your best total yet – 8 goals – as well as more than a few assists. In which ways do you think your game has developed with FGR? And are there areas you still need to improve in?

    KG: The team did admirably last season, and we achieved Forest Green’s highest ever finish [5th place in the Conference Premier]. As for myself, I didn’t really play much in the first half of the season – it was more of a bit-part role. But once I got my foot in the door, I didn’t look back and have just kept pushing on.

    I think the training here has helped my all-round game. [FGR Manager] Aidy Pennant has been good with me, and I’ve also been patient because I’ve had to wait my time to prove what I could do for the club. I feel like when I joined, people were saying ‘who’s this? He’s just another young lad’, but I think if you asked the fans now, they’d say I’m an important part of the team.

    I feel I’ve deserved credit for keep working hard, but the coaching staff have been brilliant. Aidy, and now Jamie Day [who joined in May 2015] have helped me to continue improving this year.

    DB: Forest Green are currently top of the National League, though results have been patchy since that incredible start to the season. How confident are you of winning automatic promotion? And do you think the team can learn from some of the recent draws and losses?

    KG: I’ve always said that clubs are at this level for a reason – and that reason is inconsistency. When you step up to the Football League, I think the clubs there are a bit more consistent.

    I feel this is the weakest the Conference has been for a while. We won nine games on the bounce, but I don’t think we even played our best football in those early games. And then we got just one point from the next four games, and yet stayed top of the table.

    At the moment, we’re going through an unfortunate patch, but the performances and results will definitely pick back up again. So I think ‘why can’t it be Forest Green this season?’.

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    Celebration: Kurtis and Lee Hughes (left) celebrating a crucial goal for Forest Green.

    DB: Along with yourself, who would you say are the main threats in the team? Obviously you have the likes of Jon Parkin…

    KG: Keanu Marsh-Brown is another, since he’s come in. Keanu has so much flair and he can open up defences. Aaron O’Connor also has that deft finish, and a lot of experience. They’ve both been great additions to the squad.

    Then Darren Carter coming has given us that old head in midfield, and an ability to control games – alongside Rob Sinclair, who’s technically brilliant. So I think we’ve got a good chance [of automatic promotion].

    DB: In terms of the atmosphere, the ground and even the numbers of fans Forest Green take – where is your favourite away trip in the league? Is there an away day you always look forward to?

    KG: It’s a tough one that! [*Pauses*] I like going back to Welling. I have good memories of being at the club, and even though last year I only played a couple of minutes there, I enjoyed it. This year I’m looking forward to going back. It’s a Tuesday night game [10th November]. I always liked midweek games at the PVR* [*Park View Road].

    Tranmere should be a good one this season, too. I’m also looking forward to going to Halifax because last year it got a bit heated, so I’m hoping to go back this season and get revenge!

    DB: Though you’ve already had a lot of experience in the game, you’re still only 22 and have a long career ahead of you. Do you see yourself with Forest Green in the long-term, or is the endgame to join a big Football League club?

    KG: That’s difficult, because I feel Forest Green is the best club to be at, at this level. The club offers everything you need, and the facilities are excellent – absolutely second to none.

    Still, I’ve always dreamt of being able to play in front of big crowds, every single week – and I feel that big crowds actually bring out my best performances. It’s just unfortunate for Forest Green, that the location [Nailsworth: population 5,794] means they can’t generate those big crowds.

    I don’t think there’s any other way in which the club needs to progress, other than getting bigger crowds. There’s talk of moving to a new stadium, and maybe that could be the turning point on that front.

    DB: Finally, what do you enjoy doing outside of football? I know you have a sporty family – with your sister playing for the England netball team. And is there a career you ever considered aside from playing the beautiful game?

    KG: I’m a bit of a couch potato to be honest, mate! I like watching films and just relaxing, really. I do play a bit of golf in the summer. I’m a seasonal golfer, I don’t really fancy it in the winter!

    Because of the work I did before I played football for a living, if anything was ever to go wrong, I think I’d turn to painting and decorating because it’s just something I know. I think I’d like to work for myself – not taking orders from people. I’m quite an independent guy.

    I’d only stay in football if there were the opportunity to do youth coaching, like u-14s. When I go back to Jersey, I like watching local football, because there’s always that one player who’s better than everyone else. You can always spot them, and I’d like to help kids in Jersey get over to football clubs in England more, and expand the market of players in Jersey.

    Guernsey are doing their own thing in the league, but the standard of players in Jersey is far better. If there was the opportunity, that’s something I’d like to look at doing once I finish playing.

    *Thank you to Kurtis for this great interview. Best of luck to him and everyone at Forest Green this season. If you want to hear more from Kurtis, follow him on Twitter @kurtisguthrie11*

    Posted on October 22, 2015, in Dave Burin Interviews, Forest Green Rovers and tagged Accrington Stanley, Featured, FGR, Forest Green Rovers, Interview, Kurtis Guthrie, St. Clement F.C., Welling United. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.

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  • Under the League Interviews…Darren Williams

    Under the League Interviews…Darren Williams

    Posted by DaveBurin

    It’s no surprise that Darren Williams has made a splash as manager of ‘The Catch’. Now four years into his tenure as Whitby Town boss, the friendly and genuine Teessider has seen it all during more than two decades in the game. In a storied career, Williams has played in the Premier League, every division of the Football League, and earnt his stripes as a veteran defensive rock and acute manager in Non-League football.

    Discussing everything from playing in York City’s famous 3-0 triumph over Manchester United, to scoring his first goals for Sunderland, his respect for the hardworking professionals of the Northern Premier League and much more, Darren talks me through his fascinating journey, with honesty and heart.

    DB: Hi Darren. You grew up in Middlesbrough during the ’80s, which was a difficult period throughout the North East with the pit closures & unemployment. What was life like as a kid in ‘Boro at that time?

    DW: I think it was difficult for the town at that time, and that was reflected in Middlesbrough F.C.. For the club, it was more a case of survival than anything else. From a financial point of view, obviously clubs like that have academies now, but the youth policy at Boro then was very different.

    As young footballers, we were training in a gymnasium – about 30 or 40 kids at a time. It resulted in too many players with ability being overlooked.

    DB: You joined York City’s youth setup in 1993 and made your debut for the club in December 1994 after superb performances for City’s ‘intermediate’ side. What do you remember about your early time at Bootham Crescent and making your professional debut in a 4-0 win over Blackpool?

    DW: I joined as a YTS, and had to do everything from cleaning the stands to scrubbing hallways and toilets. It was a proper YTS experience, and a lot of the players who went through that came out the other end as better people. I still think young players should have those duties; I never saw a reason why it should have changed.

    Leading up to my first-team debut, I played for the youth team in the morning and then dashed back to the ground to be on the bench against Blackpool, and I came on as a sub. I played two games in one day, but thankfully we were at home, so I didn’t have to travel too far!

    DB: On 20th September 1995, you played in arguably York City’s most famous victory of all time. The Minstermen won 3-0 away at Manchester United (City eventually went through 4-3 on aggregate). Were you confident before the first-leg that you could overcome a footballing power like United? And what was the atmosphere like at Bootham Crescent for the return?

    DW: No, we weren’t confident going there that we could beat Man United. At that time, they had some fantastic players and a massive squad. We just went to enjoy the occasion. Most of the lads hadn’t played at Old Trafford before, and it was a big occasion for us. York had a great support at the time who travelled down to Manchester, and we played really well for them on the night and managed to come away with a 3-0 victory.

    Bootham Crescent was packed to the rafters for the second-leg, and Man United had included some of their top players. Fortunately, we got a goal just before half-time and it was enough to take us through.

    1409057720980_wps_1_DARREN_WILLIAMS_OF_YORK_C (credit): Daily Mail

    Williams gets to grips with the Man United attack, in their 3-0 win over the footballing giants.

    DB: Despite that famous cup win and York City narrowly avoiding the drop to Division Three, you left to join Sunderland in Summer 1996. Why did you decide to leave Bootham Crescent? And did you get other offers as well as Sunderland’s?

    DW: Yeah, there were a couple of offers. However, my Youth Team manager at York, Ricky Sbragia had gone to Sunderland, and he recommended me to Peter Reid. At the time, it was an offer to jump from Division Three to the Premiership, so from a career point of view it was a no-brainer really.

    DB: Did you find the transition of moving up to a bigger club like Sunderland quite easy, or was it a difficult one?

    DW: I think I adapted quite quickly to be fair. I didn’t expect myself to, I thought it would take quite a bit of time to settle in there and to appear in the first team. I didn’t have to wait too long to play, actually, and the whole transition was quite smooth.

    DB: In your first season at Sunderland, the club were sadly relegated from the Premier League. However, on a personal note, you scored your first professional goal in a 1-1 draw with Leicester and scored the winner away at your hometown club Middlesbrough. Tell me about those moments.

    DW: The one at Leicester came out of the blue! Martin Smith got to the byline, pulled the ball back and fortunately enough I arrived at the right time to volley it into the bottom corner. Being my first goal, in the Premiership, was special. I wasn’t a natural goalscorer, I’ve always been more of a defensive player, but at Sunderland they played me in a slightly more advanced position [than York had], so it allowed me to get forward a bit more.

    The goal against Boro was vital at the time, as we were scrapping for points – and the fact they were my hometown club made it extra special. The funny this is that I was supposed to be marking Juninho, but I ended up with a free role in the first-half because they’d left him on the bench!

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    In full flow: Williams on the move for Sunderland, his club from 1996-2004.

    DB: In 1999, Sunderland won the old Division One to return to the Premier League. The year before you’d played in that incredible, heartbreaking play-off final where Charlton won on penalties after a 4-4 draw. Do you think the hurt of losing that final spurred yourself and the whole squad on for the following season?

    DW: I don’t think it was the hurt of losing that season. It was the experience of that [1997-98] season, where we should have gone up automatically. There was one night at the Stadium of Light where we were 2-0 up against QPR, and ended up drawing 2-2, which effectively knocked us out of second place.

    We learnt from that experience, and took that whole season on board. In the following campaign we pushed on and dominated the league from start to finish.

    DB: You left Sunderland in 2004, but after a brief stint at Cardiff City, you headed back North to Hartlepool United. In your second season, the club were promoted to League One with Danny Wilson in charge. Danny’s perceived as a tough, no-nonsense manager. How did you find playing for him?

    DW: I got on okay with Danny. We fell out on the odd occasion, but I found Danny to be a nice bloke and a decent manager, to be fair. We didn’t argue over anything personal, it was just football-related stuff, and we always got on fine any disagreement.

    That’s how it is in football, you have your run-ins and then once the matter’s done and dusted, it’s forgotten about. You’re always likely to clash at some point in your career, with somebody – and unfortunately I’ve experienced that on a couple of occasions myself!

    DB: Shortly before making the transition into playing Non-League football, you joined Dundee, pairing up with your old Sunderland teammate Alex Rae, who was then player-manager at Dens Park. Did you enjoy your experience of Scottish football? And was it tough to have a manager who you’d previously played with instead of for?

    DW: No, it wasn’t tough to have a manager that I’d previously played with, because I respected Alex and we’d got on really well when we were at Sunderland. He called me and asked me to go up and play at Dens Park, and it was a decision I wasn’t too sure about – but I went up there.

    I enjoyed the football side of things, but not life there. No disrespect, but Dundee isn’t the greatest of places and that area is quite remote. That was hard, and unfortunately Alex got the sack shortly after, and another guy I’d worked with, Jocky Scott took over. I got on okay with Jocky, but I’d moved up there to play for Alex, really.

    DB: You joined Gateshead, in the Conference Premier in 2009. I believe that deal took a while to happen, because you were still hoping for a professional club to come in. So was it tough to accept that you were playing at a lower level than you had been earlier in your career?

    DW: It wasn’t tough to accept, but I was looking around for a while, hoping that I’d get an offer from a League club. Obviously though, the longer you wait the harder it gets to find a club. Joining Gateshead was a decision I should have made a little bit earlier. I enjoyed playing for them, and being at a local club, but I just didn’t see eye-to-eye with Ian Bogie, the manager.

    I was a senior pro and I had a view of how things should be done, and I thought some of the decisions he made were just not right.

    DB: Whitby Town, where you arrived in 2011, was your first foray into management; as player manager. You’ve done a superb job, establishing a pretty small club as Northern Premier League mainstays. How would you describe your man-management style and the way you want your teams to play?

    DW: We’re an attractive footballing side and we have players with good footballing pedigree. That’s how I’ve always wanted us to play. In terms of man-management, dealing with players is something I think I do really well. I’ve had positive feedback from players I’ve previously coached, as well. Dealing with individuals is all part-and-parcel of management and I consider it one of my strengths.

    DB: At Whitby Town, you have players in your squad like Lee Bullock – who you played with at Hartlepool – and Mark Robinson – who you played with at Gateshead and Gainsborough Trinity. Why do you think it’s so important to have former teammates at the club with you?

    DW: It’s good to have people you know around you, because that mutual respect is already there. You know their character, and that they are honest lads. If they have a problem, or you make decisions that they don’t agree with, then those guys will come out and say so. What I wouldn’t like are players who didn’t agree with something I did, and then talked behind my back about it.

    whitby_town_-_tp_12-13

    Darren (far left, front row) and his Whitby Town charges, in 2012.

    DB: In Non-League, players and managers move between clubs a lot, more frequently than in the higher echelons of the game. What is it that you’ve enjoyed so much about Whitby Town to keep you at the club for 4 years (and counting)?

    DW: I’ve enjoyed working with the players that I’ve had. What I think a lot of people forget is that these lads have jobs, they’re working day-in, day-out and then the club may train on a Tuesday night or a Thursday night, and we often have a midweek game. That might be away at King’s Lynn or Colwyn Bay.

    The players will finish work, jump on a bus, get there, compete for 90 minutes and sometimes won’t get back until 1 o’clock or 2 o’clock the next morning. Then most of them have to be up again for work a few hours later. I have massive respect for the lads at this level. They don’t get paid the fortunes that the Premier League players do, but they still show such commitment to the game.

    DB: Last season Town finished 13th and you’ve had a tough start to this season. Realistically, what are The Catch aiming to achieve in this campaign?

    DW: We’re hoping to achieve a play-off place. We’ve had a difficult start, losing six defenders in the first seven games! The team has had to be shuffled around a lot, because of that. We’ve also lost our regular goalkeeper [Shane Bland] so we’ve had to get a replacement in for him, as well. Despite all this disruption at the start of the season, we still have high hopes of a play-off spot.

    DB: You’re still only 38, so a young manager. Do you have a long-term plan for where you want to be in management in 5 or 10 years, or are you just focused on the here and now with Whitby?

    DW: I’m focusing on the present with Whitby, but obviously one day I want to be coaching in the Football League. I want to move up and progress. As a player I started at the bottom and worked my way up, which is how I see my managerial career going. Working at this level [Northern Premier League] is a great grounding. You learn to deal with awkward situations like players who can’t get off work or having to shuffle about a small squad.

    I want a gradual progression as a manager, and the learning curve here at Whitby will stand me in good stead for that.

    darren_williams_0

    Darren coaches the footballing elite of the future at East Durham College.

    DB: Finally, what do you enjoy doing outside of football? And is there ever a career you considered aside from the beautiful game?

    DW: Outside of football, I enjoy time with my family. I coach quite a lot, and that’s an area I think I’ll stay in. It’s what I know. I coach with Evolution, and at East Durham College, and I’ll always enjoy the coaching side of the game!

    Posted on September 13, 2015, in Dave Burin Interviews, UTL Archive, York City and tagged Darren Williams, Dundee FC, Featured, Interviews, Northern Premier League, Sunderland, Whitby Town, York City. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.

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  • Under The League Interviews… Lewis Haldane

    Under The League Interviews… Lewis Haldane

    Posted by DaveBurin

    Dave Burin has been busy for us once again, this time chatting to former Bristol Rovers, Port Vale and Oxford United winger Lewis Haldane.

    Even over a slightly crackly phone reception on a windy August night, Lewis Haldane’s warmth shines through. One of Non-League football’s most likeable and resilient personalities, Haldane won promotion to League One with Bristol Rovers and moved onto Port Vale, before a series of horrific illnesses and injuries curtailed his professional career. The unbreakable wing wizard returned to football in 2013 with Southern League side Yate Town, winning Bristol Non-League player of the year in his first season, before moving onto Southern Premier League club Frome Town.

    With open, honest reflections and a personable manner, Lewis talks me through the highs and lows of a tumultuous career, from winning two promotions and playing in the Wales U-21 squad with Gareth Bale, to the physical and mental turmoil of serious illness, and his strong focus on family.

    DB: You grew up in Trowbridge in the late ’80s and the ’90s. The nearest Football League clubs were in Swindon and Bristol, over 30 miles away. So did you follow a local non-league team, or did you support a big club from afar?

    LH: I supported Leeds United. My Dad was a big fan from the Billy Bremner days onwards. I had a season ticket at Elland Road, and my Dad and I always travelled up there. As a young kid, I really liked Lee Chapman and a Lazio player called Schillaci – I’d forgotten about that, but I was apparently obsessed with him! Later on, I looked up to Leeds strikers like Mark Viduka and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.

    I don’t get to see them much now, because I’m still playing, but hopefully I can get to somewhere like Bristol City or Bournemouth if and when they’re there!

    DB: As a teenager, you spent time in the youth setup at Southampton, and then at your hometown club, Trowbridge Town. Even as a youth player, was it a difficult transition moving from a club with Premier League facilities, to Non-League, where the setup is typically a lot smaller and more basic?

    LH: At that age, there’s not a big transition. I left Saints when I was 14, because I was a small lad and a lot of the kids were much bigger than me, and I didn’t really grow until my later teens. We just trained at a college in the centre of Southampton, so it wasn’t that different [to Trowbridge’s facilities]. You don’t really focus on those things when you’re young, anyway. You just want to win games and score to impress your parents!

    Trowbridge Town was nice, and just a little local club. I played for a couple of teams around the area, like Trowbridge, Shaw Youth and Whitley. All my friends were playing in local sides, and we were just learning how to play football, and learning the ropes!

    DB: You joined Bristol Rovers in 2002, but played your first senior games whilst on loan at Weston-super-Mare in the Spring of 2003. What are your memories of your brief spell with The Seagulls?

    LH: I think I scored 3 times in my first 5 games, and I would only have been sixteen at the time. It was different, because it was the first time I’d ever played mens football. It was much more physical [than youth team football], and I was a really skinny little lad back then – I probably only weighed 10 stone.Lewis Haldane Bristol Rovers

    In my final game for Weston, we got promoted at Clevedon. My Dad was there watching, and one of their players stood there, off-the-ball and just elbowed me straight in the face. He broke my nose. My Dad’s not aggressive at all, but he waited for the guy to come off the pitch and basically said ‘what are you doing, he’s a little kid’. But it was a wake-up call, to say ‘this is senior football. I’m in mens football now!’.

    That’s what sticks with me most – learning to play against men, because I was basically a kid. Players grow up at different times. Wayne Rooney, at that age, was already a big strapping bloke, but I was a little lad.

    DB: Later that year, you played your first games for Bristol Rovers. You scored your first goal in an away defeat to Doncaster, and managed an impressive 3 goals in your first 4 games. However, the club went on a run of just 1 win in 11 matches. What were your emotions at that time, and also, what was the mood like around the club?

    LH: Ray Graydon was manager and we were near the bottom of the league, which is why I got my chance. I think I was just on cloud nine, really, because all my friends were still in the youth team, and I broke into the first team. They came to watch their games, and it was just exciting that one of us had broken into the first team.

    Like I said, I was just a kid, so it was all a bit of a blur at the time. But looking back on it now, 13 years later, I can remember it all like it was yesterday. I remember coming on against Cheltenham in my first game [a 2-0 home victory] and got a penalty with my first touch! In my first start against Doncaster – I scored, and you don’t ever forget that moment.

    DB: You scored six goals in that first season, and played well throughout the year. One ever-present in that team and your early years at the club was Ghana striker Junior Agogo. What was he like to play with?

    LH: He was a quality player. He obviously moved on to Nottingham Forest, and later to Qatar – and he earned a lot of money out there. You learn a lot playing with players of that calibre, and he played for Ghana in the Africa Cup of Nations too. He was a fantastic player, and obviously moved on the season after he scored 20 goals. Luckily for him, he got that big move, something which never happened for me. But you’ve got to give him his props for managing that!

    DB: Bristol Rovers finished 12th in what became League Two in the following two seasons, and you were in and out of the team. However, in the 2006-07 campaign, you were an integral part of the Rovers team that won promotion in the Play-Offs. However, the team also suffered a heartbreaking loss in the JPT (Johnstone’s Paint Trophy) final. What are your abiding memories of that season?

    LH: It was fantastic. It was the first season I was in the side regularly, and I managed to play over 40 games that season. I played on the wing, which was a different position for me, but I was quick and I got a bit bigger – my game came together. For the first time in football really, I felt like a man.

    The more I played, the more confident I felt and the better my performances were. I had a really good season, and we got promoted. Obviously, we played at Wembley which was the most nerve-racking time of my life! But [winning promotion] was possibly the best day of my life, other than my daughter being born.

    When you’re a little boy, you dream of playing at Wembley. The thing I remember most clearly from that season though, is playing at Elland Road. It wouldn’t mean much to most lads, but for me, as a ground, it was even better than playing at Wembley or the Millennium Stadium. My Dad [also a Leeds United fan] was there, and I’m really, really proud that I played there, to be honest. One of the real highlights of my career.

    DB: As well as winning promotion, you also made your debut that season for Wales U-21s, in a European Championship qualifier against Turkey. What was it like to represent Wales at Ninian Park, and where were you when you got the call-up?

    LH: I was at home and I got the call from my manager [Paul Trollope] saying that Bryan Flynn, the Wales U-21s boss wants you to go down and join up with the squad. I was quite a shy lad, and just like ‘I can’t believe this!’. I went down there, and obviously the senior squad were there as well, so you had the likes of Ryan Giggs and Craig Bellamy there, and I was in awe of them.

    Looking back now, Gareth Bale was next to me at the dinner table before the game. He was in the U-21s team, and obviously we didn’t know that he was going to be a superstar. [*laughs*] Crikey, how our careers took different paths.

    We drew 0-0 against Turkey, and I came on in the last 20 minutes, and I had a good shot tipped around the post. We were virtually out of the race for qualifying, and I was 23 at the time, so I was too old really, but was one of the two older players allowed in the squad. Still, it’s a great memory and I really enjoyed it!

    DB: The following season you went out on loan to Oxford United. You told BBC Sport at the time that “it wasn’t an easy decision to drop down to the Conference”. In hindsight, was it a decision you’re glad you made, or do you feel you should have stayed with Rovers?

    LH: At the time, I felt I was being pushed out by Rovers. When we got promoted, they signed loads of new players and I didn’t really get a chance. Looking back, they made mistakes, as they got relegated the season after and they’d spent all their money. If they would have stuck with the boys that had got them promoted in the first place and actually cared about the club, they wouldn’t have got into that mess. The first season after coming up, Rovers finished 15th and they gradually spent a lot of money on wages and things, and got relegated.Lewis Haldane Oxford

    I went to Oxford, who were a really big club at the time, in the Conference Premier. At first we weren’t a great team and struggled a little bit, but when Chris Wilder took over we won 15 games in a row towards the end of the season, and almost got into the Play-Offs.

    My form wasn’t brilliant at Oxford. I played well some games, and others I didn’t. My confidence had been knocked by Bristol Rovers putting me to the side.

    DB: What was Chris Wilder like to play under?

    LH: He was good. He knew what he wanted, and like I said, when he took over we won a lot of games on the spin. He turned our fortunes around, and I really enjoyed playing under Chris.

    DB: You joined Port Vale in 2009, with the deal becoming permanent in January 2010. In that first year, you scored several goals, including a crucial strike in a narrow 2-1 win over Torquay United. Micky Adams also spoke highly of your pace and ability, in the media. Do you consider that season one of the best of your career?

    LH: I think the year I got promoted with Rovers was the best season of my career, but that season at Port Vale I felt like I was playing really well, after having my confidence knocked at Oxford.Lewis Haldane Port Vale

    I moved up to Stoke, where my ex-partner’s family are from. My girlfriend became pregnant about a year after we moved there, and things were good. I got my form back, and I was back in the Football League and people were talking about me again. I put in a couple of good performances live on Sky Sports and I felt that if I could keep it up, I might get a life-changing move somewhere but that didn’t happen.

    But I have those memories of playing for several different clubs, which a lot of boys would love to do.

    DB: On that note, do you feel that players are even more motivated for televised games, because you know how many people are going to be watching?

    LH: Yeah, I think so, because you get your friends back home who don’t get to the matches watching and you want to show them that you’re good!

    DB: During the following 2 years at Port Vale, you made a fair few appearances, but suffered horrendous misfortune with injuries – being out for months with an insect bite, and then the leg break which ended your professional career at the time. How did you manage to stay mentally strong during such difficult periods?

    LH: In pre-season, when I got bit by an insect, the Blandford fly, I could have died very easily. I was at home, and I collapsed. My partner called for an ambulance, and they told her to take me to the hospital, and I went downhill from there. I lost 3 1/2 stone in the space of a week. It was lucky I went to hospital, because I might have died otherwise, because the blood poisoning was so bad. It took seven months for the swelling to go down on my ankle, and I don’t think I ever recovered because I broke my leg six months after that.

    DB: Do you think the two things were related?

    LH: Do you know, I’ve got no idea to be honest. I had three operations on my ankle when I had that insect bite, to release the pressure on it. People laugh when I tell them it was an insect, but it was really tough!

    When I broke my leg, I had to be mentally strong. The moment I broke it, I remember looking down and my foot was wrapped around, so my toes were pointing the opposite way. I just panicked, and that second I thought ‘I’m never going to play football again’.

    I had a contract for another 18 months and for those 18 months I did everything I could to try and get fit. I was at the club every single day of the week, some days from 7:30am to 5pm, but I just wasn’t getting any better. I was having operation after operation. I’d keep thinking I was almost there, and then I’d go for a run and collapse to the ground with my ankle swelling up and in agony.

    That was absolute hell, but luckily enough my Daughter was born during that time so spending time with her would make my day better. Even when the training was hell, I could think about going home to see her a few hours later. I would have loved her to see me play professionally, see my games be on the TV and things, but it wasn’t to be. I tried my hardest to get fit, because I loved playing football and playing professionally was all I’d ever wanted to, but having my daughter helped me through. She was the silver lining.

    DB: Between your retirement from football in October 2012 and joining Yate Town in 2013, you were obviously out of the game. Was your hope always to play again at some level – even if it was much further down the football pyramid – or was there a time where you felt like you wanted nothing more to do with the sport?

    LH: The day I retired, I couldn’t walk without absolute agony in my ankle. Since breaking my leg in 2011, for those 2 1/2 years, I couldn’t walk without pain. For a long time, I wondered if I’d ever be able to walk or run without pain, let alone play football.

    I had a cortisone injection in my ankle a week before I started for Yate in pre-season, just to see if it would help my day-to-day life, really. It felt a lot better. Obviously I knew it wasn’t better, it was just masking it. I decided to go training with them, and thought ‘if I break down, it happens. What have I got to lose?’.

    Over the last 18 months, it’s felt a little better. I know that there’s still tissue damage and cartilage damage, but I don’t do myself any danger now in playing once or twice a week. On a Sunday it’s sometimes so sore I can hardly walk, but the thrill of getting out there and scoring a few goals and playing with a few of my friends who live around the area makes it all worthwhile.

    I got named Bristol Non-League player of the year in my first season back, so I was incredibly chuffed with that, having at one time wondered if I’d ever walk again.

    DB: You joined Yate Town in the Southern League. Did you approach them about playing at Lodge Road, or did the club contact you initially?

    Lewis in action for Yate Town

    Lewis in action for Yate Town

    LH: One of my friends, Ricky Hulbert joined Yate. I used to have a kick around with him now and again, and he asked me ‘how’s your ankle feeling, Lew? Do you want to come training with us?’. I’d just had the injection, so I said yes. The Yate manager knew my history, and asked me if I’d like to sign for them. I said yes – as long as my ankle’s okay in training, and it just went from there, really.

    DB: What was it like taking to the pitch for Yate on your debut – were you just delighted to be playing again, or was there a mixture of emotions?

    LH: It felt weird. Obviously, I was unfit because I didn’t run properly for over three years. It was really nerve racking, because I was thinking ‘what if I get injured again’ or ‘what if I’m rubbish, and everyone takes the piss out of me!’ [*Laughs*] Luckily, I still had a bit left in the locker!

    My game’s changed now. I can’t run up and down the wing like I used to, but when I was out injured I used to watch a lot of football, and I like to think that my technique and understanding of the game is a little bit better. Even though I’m not the athlete I was, I can do things on the ball now that I couldn’t have before. I just wish I had all that when I was 20!

    Lewis celebrating scoring for Yate Town

    Lewis celebrating scoring for Yate Town

    DB: Last season, you made the step up to the Southern Premier League with Frome Town, and were an important part of the team’s survival from relegation. Have you enjoyed your time with Frome, and do you still harbour ambitions of playing at Football League level again?

    LH: I’m never going to be fit enough to do that, and I’m 30 years old now. Still, when I was at Yate, we were two games away from reaching the First Round of the FA Cup, and I would love to play against a Football League side once more. It would be great to be drawn against Bristol Rovers. Leeds in the Cup would be even better!

    I still really enjoy playing my football, though it’s hard combining it with my work life. I work for a lorry components company in Bristol. It’s my first proper job, working outside of football. For the last ten years, my friends have been off getting their qualifications, going to University and building their trade – I have to start from scratch with that now, and it’ll take a few years to get where I want to be. But I’m staying positive.

    DB: Obviously your injury misfortunes mean that you’ve had more reason to think about a post-playing career than most footballers do. But do you now have a long-term plan of what you’d like to do once you hang up your boots, or do you not want to look that far ahead?

    LH: Well, I’ve been out of professional football for several years now, and not played properly for four years. I’d like to build a trade, and somewhere down the line, work on a building site. Football was my first love, but that’s gone as a career now. There’s a lot of things I like the idea of doing, but having a trade is the main goal.

    DB: Finally – what do you most enjoy doing outside of football?

    LH: I spend all my free time with my little girl. Spending time with my daughter is my main passion now – she’s my absolute world! I can’t describe to you how much I love her.

    Posted on August 10, 2015, in UTL Interviews and tagged Bristol Rovers, Featured, Forest Green Rovers, Frome Town, Lewis Haldane, Port Vale, Trowbridge Town, Yate Town. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.

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  • Yate Town F.C. vs Newport A.F.C. (Beazer Homes League Midland Division 12/04/93)

    Yate Town F.C. vs Newport A.F.C. (Beazer Homes League Midland Division 12/04/93)

    Posted by kieranscottknowles

    The latest #Classic Programme review sees us travel back in time some twenty two years, to a Spring day in Hampshire.

    Chipping Sodbury. It’s not really the name of a place but instead the words your dad used to seethe between gritted teeth upon stubbing his toe (after the divorce he stopped restraining his expletives behind quaint turns of phrase and he grew that funny mustache and cried a lot more too but this isn’t really the place for all that). Chipping Sodbury. It’s still funny to me now, typing the words out. Chipping Bloody Sodbury.

    It’s in the advertisements they mostly appear. The Squire Inn, for example, is found on Broad Street in Chipping Sodbury and has a skittle alley and I really have no idea what a skittle alley is but imagine it as the weedy, asthmatic cousin of bowling that even in 1993 wasn’t considered cool to partake in. Or at M.E. Nelson & Sons butchers on the high street of Chipping Sodbury and with their rather suspicious promise of “home produced meat” and extremely premature request for Christmas orders in mid April. Or even J Hollister of 76a Station Road Chipping Sodbury who had his thumbs in numerous unappealing pies such as “calor gas”, “heater hire”, “clima ladders”, “fishing tackle”, and “timber” as if he was the Toys R Us of random masculine items.

    The programme opens with “Towns Talk” which boredly relays to us recent events (sample quote – “Terry Stevenson sustained his serious knee injury in that match, and has not played since”) including the victory of the Yate Town A team in winning the G.F.A Intermediate Cup against Olveston United in a 4-1 victory which you would think would be cause for celebration except the particularly pessimistic author of the column prefers to focus on the reserve squad beating Almondsbury with two goals from Darin Hunt who, however, also missed two penalties which, had they been converted, would have made the event “considerably less nail biting for those who were here”. The utter arse.

    On the opposite page we are treated to a list of Yate Town’s club honours which bizarrely includes being finalists of the unappealingly sponsored ‘Hellenic Skol Cup’ (later on in an advert for IND Coope Sales, Skol is described as having a “crisp clean flavour” which is certainly an eventful way of saying “wholeheartedly bland”) and goes on to happily list all the times they didn’t quite win an array of competitions including the Hellenic Division One, Stroud Charity Cup Section A, and Challenge Trophy. One in the eye for those who subscribe to the “History only remembers the winners” maxim. The Yate Town programme remembers EVERYTHING.history

    Later on there is a description of the recent G.F.A. Senior Challenge Cup Final and an apparently exciting game during which Yate took a two goal lead before throwing it all away and eventually losing 3-2, due in part to a “termendous” save by the Gloucester keeper to deny an equaliser.

    The disappointment of this snatching-defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory is tempered, apparently, due to the “knowledge that we had taken part in an excellent final” and, also, one which “drew praise from the Gloucester City contingent.” Fans of a team praising a match in which their team won a trophy? Who’d have thunk it? At least Yate had another event to add to the ‘Oooooh nearly’ column of their Honours section.

    Following the description of that match is a “point of interest” that the GFA Coaching Secretary Jock Gault won a basket of fruit in a raffle which he donated to an Old Peoples Residence which determinedly misunderstands the term ‘point of interest’ and re-imagines it as ‘thing that happened that most likely nobody cares about’. Top work.

    A recurring theme throughout is a sense of anger towards the Welsh Football Association in defence of the visitors Newport. At the time that this match was about to take place Newport AFC were still a relatively newly formed club, created in reaction to the winding up of Newport County who, little over a decade earlier, were winning the Welsh Cup and taking part in a famous European Cup Winner’s Cup run. It was American “economic idiot” Jerry Sherman who owned the club at the time of their demise, and who famously announced following the winding up order that “We have to get a league to play in, a park to play in – you know, little things like that, but we’ll sort something out.” with a seemingly straight, oblivious face. They didn’t sort something out and Sherman was later jailed for fraud.

    Newport AFC was born in June of 1989 and by this, the fourth season of their existence, the Welsh governing body had exiled them to play their home games outside of Wales as a way of promoting their own newly formed League of Wales. This meant Newport had to play their games at Moreton-in-Marsh, a Gloucestershire town 80 miles away and meant the away fans would have less distance to travel for this match at Yate than they would to watch their team at ‘home’.adverts

    During the Newport Pen Pictures section the entry on Darren Porretta lambasts the “attitude of the Welsh F.A.” (also worthy of note is that Tony Pulis’ brother Ray was in the squad for this game) and later on in the article recounting their oppositions history they speak of “what has been a constant battle” since the club was formed and of the obstacles that lay ahead.

    Happily, as we now know, twenty years on from this game Newport A.F.C. finally returned to the Football League and currently inhabit League Two.

    According to the Yate Town line-up that day, and alongside such Generic Male Random Name Generator creations as Mike Davis, Steve Winter, and Richard Smith, wife-beating pop disgrace Bobby Brown appeared as their number 14.

    Bobby Brown, you say? Turning out in an amateur football match for a side located within the region of Chipping Sodbury?

    Well. He doesn’t need permission. He makes his own decisions.

    That’s his prerogative.

    team

    Posted on August 5, 2015, in Kieran’s Classic Programmes and tagged Featured, Newport AFC, Yate Town. Bookmark the permalink. Comments Off on Yate Town F.C. vs Newport A.F.C. (Beazer Homes League Midland Division 12/04/93).

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  • Non League Legends: Edgar Kail

    Non League Legends: Edgar Kail

    Posted by James Bartaby

    Meet the one club legend who is still adored more than eighty years after he stopped playing.

    Edgar Isaac Lewis Kail was born in London on November 26th, 1900. He spent his entire fourteen year senior career at Dulwich Hamlet FC, and is rightly held in the highest regard at Champion Hill. He is so respected at the club that the approach to the ground is named after him, and Southwark council unveiled a blue plaque in his honour in 2003 after a huge campaign amongst fans saw him top a poll of the borough’s famous sons and daughters.

    In fact, fans still sing songs about Kail at games, and the Dulwich anthem is about their greatest ever player:

    “Edgar Kail in my heart, keep me Dulwich. Edgar Kail in my heart I pray. Edgar Kail in my heart, keep me Dulwich. Keep me Dulwich till my dying day.”

    A trip to Hamlet’s ground will just enforce the affection for Kail. There is a stall dedicated to the man, with history for visiting fans to read, and merchandise to buy.

    One of the t-shirt designs on offer at Champion Hill

    One of the t-shirt designs on offer at Champion Hill

    It’s unclear how many games Kail played, but records indicate he scored a massive 427 goals for the Pink ‘n’ Blues, which is a phenomenal total, and a club record to this day. He also holds the club’s record for most goals in a season, when he netted fifty three times during the 1925-26 season.

    He played three times for the Senior England team, scoring two goals. All three caps came in the space of a week, during a continental tour in 1929. Both goals were scored on his debut against France, a 4-1 win in Paris, while he also played against Spain (a 4-3 loss in Madrid) and Belgium (a 5-1 win in Brussels).

    He is the last player to play for the full England side whilst playing for a non league club, a fact which will almost certainly remain intact forevermore.

    What makes Kail so special, and such a big hero among Hamlet fans, is that he repeatedly turned down lucrative offers from top flight clubs – and with it the chance to turn professional – instead opting to play for his beloved Hamlet for the whole of his career. He won plenty of honours too; two FA Amateur Cups, three Isthmian League titles, and four Surrey Senior Cups. A decent haul, I’m sure you’ll agree.

    It wasn’t just football that Edgar Kail excelled at; he was also an accomplished runner in his school days, competing between 1910-1914. He was even an excellent cricketer, setting record partnerships in his first matches, and also being a competent bowler.

    But it was football that won out in the end, and his sparkling career started in the school team, where he made a big impact at an early age. At the age of nine, he successfully trialled for his school side, which is made all the more impressive when you consider that the other players were aged 13-15. After a year, Kail became captain of the team. He also played football at County level, and represented England Schools on a number of occasions.

    An outstanding competitor in multiple sports, Hamlet fans can count themselves lucky that football was always Kail’s first love. He lives long in their memories and hearts, and so he should.

    The blue plaque at the entrance to Hamlet's ground

    The blue plaque at the entrance to Hamlet’s ground

    Posted on July 31, 2015, in Non-League Legends and tagged Champion Hill, Dulwich Hamlet FC, Edgar Kail, Featured. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.

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  • Classic Programme – Salford City vs Darwen

    Classic Programme – Salford City vs Darwen

    Posted by kieranscottknowles

    A look at a matchday programme from twenty-odd years ago.no bias involved here at all, I promise you).

    Paul Scholes and Phil Neville even took on a caretaker management role for a match against Kendal Town, resulting in a 2-1 win before the appointment of former Mercury Music award winner Antony and the Johnsons shortly thereafter. The appointment turned out to be a masterstroke in the end with the art pop warbler winning fifteen of the remaining seventeen games and in doing so leading his side to promotion to the Northern Premier League Premier Division Premier Premier Northern Division at the end of the campaign.

    Back during the 1992-93 season that this North West Counties League Division One clash with Darwen took place Ryan Giggs was winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award for the second year in a row and there were just two substitute appearances for Man United between the other four current co-owners. Presumably they were all too busy hatching their future plan to purchase the Ammies.

    At first glance 30p seems like a pretty good deal for this “matchday magazine”, but it must be remembered that this was back in the early 90’s when a mere five English pound could purchase you roomy property in the center of London. The content within is surprisingly generous and contains editorials, a newsletter, and a lengthy article on the history of their opponents where we learn they were one of the early pioneers of floodlit football and also how they came to adopt the club colours of Arsenal. All of this is doubly impressive when considered the article was written B.W. (before Wikipedia) and some actual research will have been needed to be done to unearth these fascinating nuggets.

    The writer of the From The Editor section doesn’t mince his words and spends a whole paragraph bemoaning the sides discipline, urging players to display “more self control” and complaining that the constant bookings “upsets the rhythm of the team and is also an expensive outlay.” Perhaps player/manager Billy Garton was amongst the recipients of that advice as he had been sent off in his first game for the club after, in his own words, “smacking a player in the face”.editor

    Garton, who had been born in Salford, wouldn’t be at the club long before leaving for Witton Albion in the Unibond Premier and then enjoying a spell at Hyde before becoming a Deputy Head at a primary school in Altrincham. This second half of his career club-hopping in non league football was in stark contrast to the first when he had been contracted to Manchester United, albeit only making fifty one appearances in six years due to injuries, eventually succumbing to M.E. which forced him to retire from top level football. He now resides in San Diego, California where he helps run a youth soccer club – a genuinely happy ending to a story that began in poverty and had many setbacks along the way.

    The middle part of the programme is taken up by the entertaining Bass North West Counties Football League Newsletter which rounds up the most interesting news from the clubs involved. It is here that we learn that celebrity star gazer Russell Grant presented the Sportslines Inter-League Challenge Cup to the Bass NWC League captain Michael Bates after victory against a Hallmark Liverpool County Combination eleven in front of what is described as a “very healthy” crowd (presumably the rotund Russell Grant withstanding). We are also informed of Nantwich Town’s “exciting 17-year-old Dougie Dawson” and the “host of admiring eyes” he’d attracted recently. Amongst those admiring eyes must have been the scout of the mighty Stafford Rangers as two years later he would sign on with them for the astronomical fee of four thousand pounds. His career was so “exciting” from then on that the Internet has literally nothing else to say about him.

    Amongst the players involved in this match for the home side were Jimmy Shields (presumably not the Jimmy Shields who would have been 61 at the time), future club chairman Darren Quick, and future fictional Coronation Street character Martin Platt. The referee, I am proud to report, was a Mr. S. J. Griffiths of Macclesfield. As with the future of poor Dougie Dawson the result of the match hasn’t been archived (the North West Counties Football League website only lists Salford’s F.A. Cup and F.A. Vase matches from that time) so here’s hoping Mr. Griffiths took prospective revenge for the Phil Power debacle by sending off a couple of Salford players and awarding Darwen a penalty or two. A loyal lot, us Macc Town fans.darwen

    Posted on July 26, 2015, in Kieran’s Classic Programmes and tagged Darwen FC, Featured, Salford City. Bookmark the permalink. Comments Off on Classic Programme – Salford City vs Darwen.

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  • Under The League Interviews…Kevin Wilson

    Under The League Interviews…Kevin Wilson

    Posted by James Bartaby

    In another Under the League exclusive, Dave Burin heads to a windswept Liberty Way to chat with Nuneaton Town’s new boss, Kevin Wilson. Honest, warm and with a wonderful eye for detail, Kevin recollects his fascinating career on the field and in the dugout, which has taken him from Stamford Bridge to Bedford Town.

    DB: You grew up in Banbury in the 1960s and ’70s, and came through the youth setup at Banbury United. What are your memories of playing, and of watching football, in your early years?photo

    KW: [Living in] Banbury, Oxford United was quite close, and also Birmingham City. I always remember going to my first game – Birmingham City, and Bob Hatton and Trevor Francis played up front, and they beat Liverpool 2-1, at St. Andrews. I can always remember the goal that Trevor Francis scored to win it – a really good, left-footed shot right into the top corner from about 25 yards. It’s funny, that’s one of the things that really sticks in my memory. But football is a bug, isn’t it? You go anywhere to watch it! They’re my first memories of the game, going to Birmingham, and going to Oxford on certain other days.

    I played initially for a club called Ruscote Sports. They played a couple of levels down (from Banbury), but I played in their first team and also played in their under-16s and 17s at the time, and then Banbury United picked me up from there. I’d already played first-team football at Oxfordshire County Level, so, going to Banbury, it was quite a quick transition, really – played in the youth team, and within 8 months I was playing in the first team.

    I had the chance of playing with people at the time like [former Scotland international] Hugh Curran, he came as a player-manager. But the manager at Banbury who gave me my debut was Brian Stone. Players who I was friends with at the time there – Phil Lines [later Banbury United manager] and Wally Hastie who I’m still friends with now, were people who took me under their wing, and I’ve got a lot to thank people like that for when I look back on my career and see how well it’s shaped and developed.

    DB: You joined Derby County in 1979, and made 3 appearances in the ’79-’80 season. It was your first taste of football in the old First Division (present-day Premier League), but unfortunately the club were relegated. What are your memories of that first year at the Baseball Ground?

    KW: It was different, it was strange living away from home. I’d never been away from home, other than holidays. Training every day, doing something that you enjoy. It had been the first time I was full-time. Made my Central League debut away at Blackburn, where we lost 4-1 and I scored. Then I made my league debut at Liverpool.

    It’s a dream [playing at Anfield]. You talk this week about Steven Gerrard being able to play in front of those fans. [The Liverpool support] are fantastic fans.

    I came on as a sub, and it was something that just went very, very quickly. I was on for 20 minutes, but it was gone in a flash.

    DB: You really established yourself in the following 5 years at Derby, and during that time, shared a dressing room with some of the game’s real characters, like Charlie George, Roy McFarland and Archie Gemmill. It must have been a very entertaining dressing room to be in. Was there a real camaraderie at the club?

    KW: Yeah. I think that’s one of the things that you do get in a lot of clubs – a real camaraderie.

    Kenny Burns was there for a short time. What a character! I’ve shared a dressing room with Roy and Archie, they’re people that have done amazing things in the game. When I first went to Derby, there were also the likes of Bruce Rioch, David Webb, Roger Davis and Kevin Hector.

    Kevin is a player that helped me develop when he came back to Derby. You look back over your career, and remember people giving you little things to say ‘this is a job that you’ve got to work hard at’. Hopefully I’ve done that over the years, and given some people some enjoyment.

    As we know, footballers are passing ships in the night, because people move on so quickly and you don’t make many friends, but the friends that you do make are good friends.

    DB: You made the move to Ipswich Town in 1985. You had an impressive scoring rate in your two seasons there, but the team were going through a difficult period on the pitch. Did you enjoy your two seasons there, playing under Bobby Ferguson?

    KW: I think it was the time I learnt. They worked really hard on me on the training ground – [helping develop the skill of] holding up. One of my strengths in my early days was my pace in behind, but they worked really hard on my hold-up play, bringing people into the game, from there, it really helped me.

    I’ve got a lot of people at Ipswich to thank. When you’re talking about characters in the dressing room, I went into a dressing room that had the likes of George Burley, Paul Cooper, Eric Gates and Terry Butcher – a captain that led by example – so there were some real professionals.

    Charlie Woods and Peter Trevivian, who was the youth-team coach spent time with you, and they helped you develop. We had a gymnasium upstairs, it was the first one that had an artificial surface. We used to go there in the afternoons and sometimes it would be all about me holding it up, laying it off – a repetition, and football is repetition. It was a place that I felt as a person and as a player, I developed.

    DB: Whilst at Ipswich, you made your Northern Ireland debut, in a 1-1 away draw against Israel, in Tel Aviv. What do you remember about the match itself, and about the experience of travelling to somewhere vastly different, like Israel?

    KW: It was good. Billy Bingham was away with UEFA, so he actually didn’t take the game, [Northern Ireland goalkeeper] Jim Platt took the game. At the time, as well, Danny Wilson made his debut, and I think Lawrie Sanchez made his debut in the same game. When you get a call-up, it is fantastic. It’s another adventure really.

    I remember having a real good game, but missing a couple of chances. You’re most probably disappointed that you’ve not taken the chances, and on the day I felt we were the better side, but [making the international debut] was another step in the right direction, and maybe a step when it all started at Banbury United, I never thought would happen – it was just a dream, so it’s something that you look back on, and they’re real good memories.

    DB: You joined Chelsea in the summer of 1987, and you’re still regarded as a legend by Blues fans of that area. Why do you think that you and Chelsea were such a good fit?

    KW: I left Ipswich with a really heavy heart, because Bobby Ferguson didn’t have his contract renewed. So, it was leaving there, and thinking ‘I want to give myself an opportunity’. John Duncan came and took the job, and I’d played with John at Derby. But it was just too late, I’d made a decision to go, and it was a chance to play at a big London club, with a reputation.

    I always remember, I had a really good pre-season, and got about 8 or 9 goals and was really playing quite well and felt really sharp. But, at the time there were the likes of Gordon Durie and Kerry Dixon there, and I never started the season, which I was disappointed with. When I was coming on, I was actually getting a little bit of negativity from the fans.

    It didn’t really drop into place straight away, but I always remember scoring against West Ham, and I think it completely changed. After the first two months bedding in, Chelsea fans started to realise what I brought to them. I scored goals, I could lay goals on, but I made a living from working hard, and I think that’s what people have got to take out of it. If you can work hard and show people that you really care, I think they will stick through the good and the bad with you.

    DB: In the 1988-89 season, you were an integral part of Chelsea’s promotion from the Second Division, scoring 13 goals and being a real mainstay of a side who won the league at a canter. After having the misfortune of playing in a few relegated sides, was it extra sweet to be part of a promotion-winning squad?

    KW: Yeah. It’s always nice. I think I actually played in all the games, and when I look back on it, I played in all different positions. I even played right-back when Steve Clarke came off! So, when you get relegated, you take it personally. I know it’s a team game, but you always think ‘could you have done more’, ‘could you have scored more goals’ or ‘could you have worked harder’.

    When you win something, it’s a great feeling. I’m fortunate to have done it now as a manager and a player. It’s two different feelings – when you’re a manager, you can sit back and watch everybody and see the enjoyment on the faces, because you’re mostly the one at the front of the bus who’s driving it! When you’re a player, you’re part of the team, and you just want to celebrate and enjoy the occasion.

    DB: In 1992, you left the Bridge to join Notts County. You were signed by, and played under, Neil Warnock. He’s regarded as one of the game’s most outspoken characters. What was he like to play for?

    KW: I’ve got a lot of respect for Neil as a manager, because he’s one of the most successful managers with promotions, but he wasn’t really my cup of tea. I’ll be honest with you – I’d had managers before who most probably got the best out of me, but I didn’t really see eye-to-eye with Neil.

    I was a bit more experienced at the time, and it didn’t start off on the right footing. We played Crystal Palace at home. I scored the first, to go one-nil up, and then we went two up when (I think) Mark Draper scored the other one. I got the ball to go and put it on the spot. Mark Draper says ‘Oh, I take the penalties’. He took the penalty, missed it. Nigel Martyn kicked it down the other end of the field, and Bright scored at the other end. And we lost 3-2, in the end.

    And, [Warnock] blamed me because he said I was the experienced one on the field. That was my first game [for Notts County]. I have got a lot of respect for him, because I think he’s done really well, but when I look back and look at the likes of John Hollins, Bobby Ferguson, Arthur Cox and Billy Bingham, there was better man managers out there [than Warnock]. He’s done great jobs, but he didn’t tick the box for me.

    DB: After two seasons with Notts County, you joined Walsall. Again, you were involved in a promotion-winning side, as the Saddlers pipped Chesterfield to automatic promotion from the Third Division in 1994-95, winning 8 of the last 11 games. What do you remember about that season?

    KW: Going into Walsall, it was going into a different venture really, because I went in as player-coach. Kenny Hibbitt was the manager when I first went in there, and he was relieved of his duties; as us managers are when things don’t go well. Chris Nicholl came in as manager, I was first-team coach. The day Chris came through the door, there was a real winning ethos. I think everywhere he’d been, he got promoted in his first season.

    He sat down with me and talked about the way he wanted to play, and explained to me that I was a very important part of it. We played a counter-attacking style [under Nicholl].

    We had to go to Scarborough on the Tuesday night [for the penultimate game]. That night, Carlisle played [promotion rivals] Chesterfield. Carlisle beat Chesterfield 2-1went on to win the title, and we jumped above Chesterfield, because we won 2-1. I scored, and [former Scarborough striker] Kyle Lightbourne scored. We went two points above Chesterfield on and we had a real good goal difference, about +17 [over the Spireites]

    We had to play Bury on Thursday evening that same week, because it was rearranged. We drew 0-0. It must’ve been James Walker in goal that night, and he made an absolute fantastic save in about the 92nd minute, flying into the top corner, and he’s got his hand there. Real big celebrations on the night!

    As a player-coach, you still celebrate the same way as a player. I played 135 consecutive games for Walsall, including that season, at 34-35 [years old].

    DB: You took over the reins at Sixfields in 1999, becoming Northampton Town’s player manager. It was a successful season, as you led the club up to Division Two. How did you find the dynamic of being a manager to players who had formerly been teammates?

    I initially went there as an assistant manager to Ian Atkins. We played at Ipswich together. In 1997-98, we got to the play-off final and lost to Grimsby 1-0. We didn’t get the best of starts the following year, and we got relegated. Then Ian went about 12 games into the next season and I took the reins over, in October [1999].

    [As Manager] I just treated people how I wanted to be treated as a player. I wanted to be honest, and I wanted to be straightforward. The style and way we played was a little bit different, because I wanted them more to get down and play, and play through the thirds. I had the likes of Steve Howard, Jamie Forrester etc., and John Frain who scored the goal at Wembley when Cobblers got promoted. I had some very good players there. They played with a freedom, and it went forward from there.

    We got promoted at Torquay, on the last game of the season. In all the games I’ve played [and managed], I can always remember the things when it went our way. We played Mansfield at home, and Chris Greenacre missed a chance yards from goal, right in the last minute [the game finished 0-0]. It’s the inches.

    Torquay was the most relaxed I’ve felt, even during the game. I just felt confidence in the players, and that they were capable of doing the job. We went 2-0 up. It was a long journey back, but it was a really enjoyable journey. [As Manager] you’re the one that can sit back and watch everybody – the fans, the players celebrating, and it’s great to be able to watch.

    DB: You were sacked by Northampton in November 2001, despite having brought the club up to Division Two and ensured they avoided relegation in their first season in the third tier. Were you shocked by the decision? And what reasons did the Chairman give for relieving you of your duties?

    KW: Not really shocked, no. I don’t think anything shocks you in football nowadays. They felt that the run of form wasn’t good enough. They gave me a vote of confidence. We beat Port Vale away 1-0, but sometimes people have to make decisions and you have to accept that.

    Unfortunately I got relieved of my duties at Ilkeston this year, not having my contract renewed. After producing 30 players, and selling nine or ten players during that period, I think you feel a bit hard done by. But, you have to accept things in football and sometimes when things don’t go your way or results are they way they are, you have to accept that. That’s the business you’re in.

    DB: Do you still look back on your time at Northampton fondly then?

    KW: Yeah. It was a first step into management on my own, and I look back on the people that played there with me. Chris Carruthers, we gave him the opportunity to play with England u-21’s at the time, and he was our first young player that came through. And Steve Howard went on to have £1m+ moves, to Derby and Leicester. We had players like Dave Savage, who played for the Republic of Ireland, a player we most probably shouldn’t have released, but financially we couldn’t afford it. These things happen, and you look back and think ‘you make decisions, and you have to stick with them’.

    DB: Between 2002 and 2008, you managed several Non-League sides including Bedford Town, Aylesbury United and Kettering Town (twice). In what ways did you feel Non-League had changed on and off the pitch since your days as a youth player at Banbury United?

    KW: When you read the teams there, most probably those teams didn’t match my ambition. At the end of the day, it isn’t about finances. Everybody thinks it’s all about finances – certainly as a player, you want to get the best deal for yourself.

    I think [ambition] is where a lot of Non-League clubs fall down now – they don’t have a long-term vision. You have to have a short, medium and a long-term vision. Sometimes you have to be patient, and one of the things I found when going into those clubs – they didn’t have that. They weren’t looking to go ahead or change their philosophy. When you have a new manager come in, the philosophy of the football club changes straight away, because he wants to do it the way he knows he’s done it in the past.

    I’ve been involved in the Gazza affair when Paul [Gascoigne] came in [as Kettering Town manager in 2005]. I have nothing against Paul, or Paul Davies. It was the decision that [Kettering Town Owner] Imraan Ladak made, and you have to accept it. I went back in [as manager], and I shouldn’t have gone back in.

    DB: What was it like being part of the Paul Gascoigne saga? Was it quite surreal?

    KW: It was. I’d played against Paul, but I didn’t really know him. He’s an England icon. It was a bit of a merry-go-round really. It might be a bit unfair to call it a ‘circus’, but it’s not easy sometimes when you come into a Non-League club, with the professional background you’ve been in.

    You want everything to be done properly. Also, to make sure the players get what they are promised, and that is something that the Kettering boys got in abundance when Paul was there. There were new boots, pizza after training and things like that. It’s brilliant if you can bring that to the party, but you need a proper vision. Unfortunately, I was the one who payed, who was the fall guy really.

    [During Wilson’s time at Kettering] the team had just gone seven undefeated, scoring 22 goals and conceding 1, and I always remember sitting there on the final saturday when we were beating Droylsden 1-0, and felt ‘I don’t really want to be sitting in the stand, or going watching games’, and I think that’s what they wanted me to do.

    DB: Surely that wasn’t the job you’d signed up for?

    KW: No, unfortunately. And going back [later in 2005] was a mistake, because the club had changed. These things happen and they come to test you, but we carry on.

    DB: You had six successful seasons at Ilkeston. One real highlight was the club winning promotion to the NPL Premier Division in 2012, after a 2-0 playoff triumph over Leek Town at New Manor Ground. What are your memories of that day?

    KW: Great day. We actually played Sheffield in the semi-final on the Monday. We won 7-0 and played some excellent football.

    We’d been to play Grantham on the last day [of the regular season], who had already won the title, so we could have finished second. I changed 9 players on that Saturday, and we conceded in the last minute to concede second place. I made the players stay and watch Grantham get presented with the trophy, made them see what it could be like if we actually went up ourselves. I felt – give Grantham respect because of what they’ve achieved, but also, give the players a ‘this could be us next week’.

    Leek had a real backlog of fixtures, because of their pitch. They ended up having a lot of games on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays. They played Carlton [in the play-off semi final] on the Wednesday, and Carlton were 2-0 up. I actually went there with the Chairman and some people from our club., and when they said ‘that’s it’, I said ‘well, I don’t think the game’s over’. Anyway, Leek got back in it, drew 2-2, went to extra-time and Leek won on penalties.

    Leek came to us, and within about 60 minutes, you could see they were dying and we went on to win 2-0. As a manager it’s always nice to win things, but the players played a great part, as did Darren Caskey who was my assistant at the time. It’s always nice, the promotions are a lot better than relegations!

    DB: Ilkeston obviously came very close to achieving promotion to the Conference North this season, and were only denied by a play-off final defeat to Curzon Ashton. What do you think made this Ilkeston side such strong challengers, and conversely, why do you think they couldn’t quite achieve that promotion?

    KW: Maybe losing the players that we did during the season. I do believe that we would have won promotion with the likes of Che Adams, Akil Wright, Ashley Hunter etc.. When you look back, you’ve had nine players that have left the football club to go onto bigger things. You can’t stop and keep them, that’s unfair.

    The players always surprised me. They kept going and they kept turning things round. The way we played, and we had a great spirit. Because they were young, they were all hungry. Sometimes a little bit naïve, but we had a great season – maybe better than I expected.

    DB: Were there any particular performances that stick with you, in terms of how good the side were?

    KW: We beat F.C. United 3-1 at home, and we drew 1-1 away there, and the referee gave a penalty [to United] for handball, which was about two feet away from his hand! We had some real good performances. The Workington display, where we won in the play-off semi final, maybe nobody expected us to get that.

    We came up short at Curzon. It wasn’t for the lack of trying. I felt that first-half we never really came to terms with the game and we failed to put our passing game onto them, but second half we really showed what we were about. It was a really strange day because when we lost, I didn’t know what emotions I did feel. I was disappointed and sorry that I was leaving Ilkeston, but my fate was already decided three months before. The players had given me everything they’d got, even knowing that I’d be leaving. That showed a real character. I always said it was going to be hard to get into the play-offs, and we had a bit of a stutter right at the end, but we got over the line.

    Well done to F.C. United who deserved to win it, and well done to Curzon Ashton. My philosophy at Ilkeston, as it will be at Nuneaton, is, if the opportunity comes for players to get sold and go on higher they they will – but we will also try to keep building and get ourselves in and around the play-offs, or trying to win automatic promotion.

    DB: You joined Nuneaton Town earlier this month. What are your first impressions of the club? And what are your aims and plans for the coming season at Liberty Way?

    KW: It’s a big club. It’s a club that hasn’t had any stability for a while, having four managers in 13 months. A lot of players coming and going. Now it’s the time to get the building blocks in place. We are getting an academy going, an u-21 side and we’re looking to build a big future. That means a lot of work to be done between now and the start of the season, and trying to get as high up the league as we can this year.

    DB: What do you enjoy doing outside of football, and was there ever an occupation you considered aside from being involved with the beautiful game?

    KW: I do enjoy a game of golf. But, with football, you don’t get much time. Spending time with the family, walking the dog, and at this time of year, getting away and having a break and trying to relax.

    DB: So was it always football? Did you always know what you wanted to do as a career?

    KW: I was a good sportsman. I liked cricket as well, and athletics, but football was always the one that I excelled at and worked hard at. I got the rewards by working hard, and I think to any young player, I’d say ‘hard work doesn’t cost anything’. Whatever job you are in, you have to work hard. Certainly for me, it’s – make sure you work hard, and don’t follow the money. The money will come and the rewards will come if you go and put everything into place.

    Follow Dave on Twitter here.

    photo 4

    Posted on June 12, 2015, in UTL Interviews and tagged Featured, Kevin Wilson, Nuneaton Town. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.

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