I’VE GOT THAT ABBEY FEELING
MARK STIMSON says the feeling he gets from his Waltham Abbey squad reminds him of the spirit among his Grays Greats.
Stimson led the Blues to an FA Trophy double in 2005 and 2006 as well as the Conference South title with players who went onto play high up the ladder like Michael Kightly and Freddy Eastwood.
The former Stevenage boss took the reins at Abbey in the summer following six seasons at Thurrock, who folded at the end of last season.
A handful of those who had helped win promotion to the Bostik Premier followed the wily gaffer and they’ve got off to a great start in the Bostik South Central.
After ten games they topped the pile – something Stimson is even more proud of considering a lengthy injury list.
Desire
And he praised the attitude of his squad. “I’ve been fortunate to work with a few teams,” Stimson said. “I would say as a group of men now – they were boys when they many of them first came to me at Thurrock – they are equivalent to the group I had at Grays. The only difference at Grays was we were full-time and you got to know them that little bit more.
“But these guys I’ve got now are amazing. They are mates. In Non-League, the lower you go, the more you have to have mates playing together.
“Sometimes they might not be as good as others footballing wise, but they are mates, they go out together and that’s massive in a group if you want to achieve something beyond just footballing abilities.
“Last year at Thurrock we were up against it with what was going on at the club. But the spirit and desire to work hard for each other got us points. Most have come over and we’re looking forward to the rest of the season.”
The Step 4 South Central division has sent Stimson into unchartered territory and a clutch of new clubs on the west side of the M25.
“We’ve played Bracknell, who are a good side,” Stimson said. “We’ve played Cheshunt, who are very strong. We’ve played Hayes & Yeading, who I thought were absolutely outstanding. If anyone gets above Hayes & Yeading they will win the league because on the day they were excellent.
“We somehow nicked a 1-0 win but you could see their team was full of experience, who all knew their jobs and it’s no surprise they’re in a fantastic position. They’ve got goals galore – I honestly believe they’d be in the top six in the Bostik Prem.
“It’s been nice in a new league, going to different grounds. Last Saturday we were at Egham. I’d never been there before so that’s another one ticked off !
Competitive
“They gave us a tough game and we were maybe fortunate to come away with a win. But it’s been good, Bracknell was a new place, Chipstead as well.
“It’s a competitive league. We’ve played eight of the top teams in our ten games and we’re all really close. It’s like most teams, if you’ve got your strongest line-up, you fancy your chances.
“I’m ready for the blip we’ll probably have, which will be understandable, but hopefully it’s not this week.”