DEAN FITS THE BILL AT RICAY!
Brennan’s off to a flyer
FROM the outside, Dean Brennan’s decision to leave the comforts of Hemel Hempstead for Billericay Town looked like a brave move but after almost a month in charge, the Irishman is loving life in Essex.
“I have enjoyed every moment so far, the players have signed up to my philosophy and things are coming together on the pitch.” Brennan told The NLP.
“I have bought into what Glenn Tamplin wants to do here, he says it like it is and where I’m from in inner-city Dublin we say it straight as well, so I hit it off with him right away.
“Some people said that I was mad to take the job, but I am really pleased that I have made the decision to come here.
“I think what has happened at the club over the last few years has been brilliant, it is unrecognisable from what it was two or three seasons ago.
“The pitch is fantastic, as are the facilities and the stadium and there is a really positive atmosphere among the fans.”
Brennan enjoyed a hugely successful six and a half years in charge of Hemel, which saw him lead the club from Step 3 to the National League South Play-offs and the former Grays Athletic winger admits leaving The Tudors was an extremely difficult choice to make.
Emotions
“Leaving Hemel was really tough. I can only really compare it to going through a divorce” said Brennan. “The club had given me the opportunity to get into management at the age of 31 and I will forever be grateful to them for that. “The Chairman Dave Boggins and his wife Emily were like family to me, so leaving was a really heart breaking thing to do but when I spoke to the board at Billericay and heard about their ambitions for the future I felt as though it was just too good of an opportunity to turn down.” Before this weekend’s clash with Gloucester City, Brennan had guided Billericay to an impressive win at Hampton & Richmond and successfully negotiated his way through two FA Cup ties, which included a thumping 9-1 victory over Whitehawk last weekend.
Although he is still in the early stages of his tenure in charge, the new Ricay boss is excited for the campaign ahead and has real confidence in his side’s ability going forward.
Brennan added: “We would be foolish to say that promotion is not our ambition but it is a really tough division, which I genuinely think is much stronger than last year.
“We have set ourselves a points target and if we can meet it then we will have a very successful season. If another team betters it then we will shake their hands and congratulate them.
“It would also be great to have a cup run and we have a really interesting game with Taunton Town in the next round of the FA Cup, who will give us a tough match after pulling off a shock against St Albans this week.
“My job at the moment is just to keep the confidence levels up and guard against complacency, and if I can manage that then hopefully it will be another successful year for the club!”