JERRY’S BUILDING ROMANS EMPIRE
Gill prepares Bath for promotion push
JERRY Gill has secured his loan stars until the end of the season for Bath City’s promotion push while off the pitch the club awaits a decision on their crucial development plans.
The high-flying Romans are the form team in National League South having won nine of their last 12 to propel them into the title race.
And after a superb Christmas period, Gill has now served up more good news by tying down influential loanees Alex Hartridge from Exeter, Cheltenham’s Dan Bowry and Colchester midfielder Noah Chilvers until the end of the season.
“I tend to use the loan market quite a bit,” Gill told The NLP. “We need a certain type of player to play the way we’re playing which is quite an attractive style of football which has a purpose about it as well, and also for my budget to compete with some of the London teams it’s quite difficult.
“I think I’ve secured them all until the end of the season, as we speak, which is huge for us. I’ve been busy this week, that’s been my focus.
“They could probably go to the next level but we have a good relationship with their clubs, they trust us, the players trust and they’re in the team on merit. We feel like we are giving them what they need.”
Bath finished fifth last season, their first venture into the play-offs since they won promotion via them in 2010, but lost in the quarter final at home to Wealdstone.
However, it signalled significant progress for the club, having stagnated since their return to regional football in 2012, in what was Gill’s first full season in charge.
“This time last year we hit some really good form,” he said. “At the moment don’t look like they want to lose a game.
Foundation
“The hardest thing, but a good thing, is picking my starting 11. We’ve probably assembled the strongest squad in depth since I came into the job two and-a-half years ago.
“We’ve built our team on a strong foundation. We’ve got the best defensive record in the league again, we don’t concede a lot of goals and it was the same last year.
“We were in the play-offs on merit [last season] but I felt really we didn’t have enough to go to the next level. Fair play to Wealdstone and Bobby [Wilkinson], they did a good job on us.
“Our target was to finish in the play-offs and this year our target is to go one better and finish higher than fifth.
“We’ve learned every year from the league, the players you need, there’s no rocket science around it, I haven’t become a magician overnight, we believe in what we do and the way we play, and we’ve got players who buy into it.”
Meanwhile, off the pitch, Bath are awaiting a crucial decision, expected next month, on a planning application which, if approved, will secure its long-term future at Twerton Park.
Three years ago, the Romans announced it was working with Greenacre Capital on a scheme to redevelop part of Twerton High Street and the football ground which includes a new grandstand, community hub and a 3G pitch, plus purpose-built student accommodation.
Sustainable
The club recognised something needed to change with it currently holding £1 million of debt which is due for repayment by 2022, and is still running at a loss.
“It’s massive because who knows what might happen if we don’t get it through,” added Gill. “It is pivotal for the club in so many different ways.
“To keep it sustainable going forward we have to have a facility that is being used 24/7.
“We’re hopeful it will happen but I pretty much focus on the football side of things. There’s been a lot of change in two and a half years.
“We always talk about our process and try to ensure the performance levels stay at a really good level. We don’t get ahead of ourselves, we’re certainly not saying we’ve cracked it, this league can really bite you.”