GORDON HANDED STONES A PLATFORM FOR SUCCESS
AS JUBILANT Wealdstone prepare for life back in NonLeague’s top-flight, Gordon Bartlett can take great pride in the role he played in their resurgence.
In an incredible 22-year tenure in the managerial hotseat, Bartlett led the Stones from the depths of the Isthmian Third Division all the way to National League South.
For much of that time, Wealdstone were homeless and in financial difficulties. Their move to Ruislip Manor’s Grosvenor Vale ground in 2008 finally gave them a base to call home and allowed Bartlett to continue pushing the club forward on the pitch.
After success in his early managerial days at Southall, Hounslow and Yeading – including reaching the FA Vase final with both Southall (1986) and Yeading (1990), winning it with the latter – it was in 1995 that Bartlett began what was to turn out to be a marathon stint in the Wealdstone hotseat.
“Yeading had done absolutely fantastic to get where they were, but there was never the fan base that Wealdstone had,” he told The NLP.
“Wealdstone were groundsharing at Yeading and were probably getting four or five times the number of people.
“I was sold the story – they were going to get a new ground, they were going to do this and that. It sounded fantastic.
“At the time they were in administration, they didn’t have a home and they were in Division Three – it was a hell of a gamble, but I knew I could build the foundations for a club that had enormous history and help them on the road back.”
Back-to-back promotions in 1996-97 and 1997-98 rapidly took Wealdstone into Isthmian Division One, though there was major disappointment when a third promotion on the spin was denied by ground grading issues.
In those early Wealdstone years, Bartlett reckons the 199697 success stands out.
He said: “Winning the FA Vase with Yeading (including an 18-year-old Andrew Impey) and the Ryman Premier with Wealdstone were fantastic – and going up from Division Three on the final day of the season is up there with them.
“It was also our presentation night and we all went out afterwards. I think that’s got to rank as one of the best days allround. The timing was incredible, with two late goals to win the title at Northwood.”
Wise old pros can have a big influence on teams and Bartlett hails the signing of Blackburn Rovers legend Simon Garner as being ‘enormous’ for that success (and also the impact of winger Glen Little in their Isthmian Premier title campaign).
Stones belatedly reached the Isthmian Premier in 2004 as a result of the restructuring that saw the creation of Conference North and South, and play-off success – and a decade later they won it. All the while Bartlett was at the helm.
Character
Did he ever think he would spend so long with one club?
“Absolutely not,” he said. “You just look at the next season.
“The season before I was sacked (in 2017), we finished a few points off the play-offs and I felt we would push on and get in them the following year.
“But we didn’t get off to the start we wanted and nothing is guaranteed in football. I was disappointed in the way it ended but very grateful for those 20-odd years that we kept taking the club forward.”
Perhaps it’s because of their strong history and success – Wealdstone were the first club to do the Non-League double in 1984-85 – that there has tended to be high expectations.
“Going to Ruislip Manor was where we got our heartbeat back,” said Bartlett. “We had a place to call our own and I honestly believe that had an enormous impact.
“Winning the Ryman Premier and getting into Conference South gave ourselves a chance of getting back to where the club had been, but it wouldn’t have happened without the fans.
“They were there through thick and thin. You get an awful lot of criticism when things don’t go well, but, by god, when you are successful, they are fantastic.
“It builds your character when you have a lot of fans. If it wasn’t for them, Wealdstone wouldn’t be where they are today.”
Since his exit in August 2017, Bartlett hasn’t felt any great need to return to the managerial ranks and is quite happy to enjoy the quiet life.
“I’ve had a few enquiries, but after 30-odd years non-stop, it was probably the right time to get out,” said the 64-year-old.
“The game has changed. In my last few years at Wealdstone, when I spoke to players it got to a point when they said what they wanted and I’d be thinking
‘how much?’.
I was probably old school and things had moved on.”
While Bartlett understandably felt a bit disillusioned in the immediate aftermath of his departure, he’s over that now and relishing seeing the Stones prosper under manager Dean Brennan and his assistant Stuart Maynard.
“The nice part of it is that when Rory Fitzgerald, the new chairman, took over and they decided to appoint a new manager, he was confident enough to pick up the phone and ask me my opinion,” he said.
“That was a compliment, and he knows my heart is at the football club. You can’t be there that long and not have that. I became a fan in my time there and it hurt every time we got beat.
“I suggested Dean and Stuart. The two people I saw at games more than anyone else were them. I knew how hard they worked behind the scenes.
“It was probably the right time for a younger, more energetic manager to take over and do what they’ve done.
“I’m absolutely delighted they’ve won promotion – because of the people involved at the club. I know how hard they’ve worked to get to this point.
“Of course, I would have loved to have done it, but I fell one step short! I have a passion for the club and want them to be successful.”
Passion
While the Wealdstone chapter of his football life is a long one, there’s a lot more to it.
Growing up, Bartlett, son of Viking Sports founder Roy, proved a talented striker and had clubs scrambling for his services, but a knee injury later knocked him for six.
He said: “As a youngster I scored for Arsenal, Manchester City, where I was on trial, West Ham and Portsmouth.
“I was at Arsenal a long time, I played in the youth team at West Ham and signed as the first apprentice that Portsmouth had.
“They only had a small first team squad. I got the chance to make my debut and scored against Bolton. I did my knee at Portsmouth, but, being honest, I wasn’t good enough. I was a hard-working player who had a knack of scoring goals, but I don’t believe I would have had a long-term career in professional football.
“I went out to America, but I never kicked a ball and then I tried Non-League. I played at Slough and then Hayes under Bobby Ross. The knee gave me too many problems and I had to look outside football.”
Then came one of those key moments that changed his life forever.
“The Hayes manager Roy Ruffell said why not put something back and manage the youth team, which I did for one season,” he explained.
“I then went to Southall, where I played a little bit and ran the youth team before I was offered the first team job at 29. In my first season, we got to Wembley in the Vase. It was a fantastic experience.”
Losing that final in 1986 – 3-0 against Halesowen Town – gave Bartlett extra motivation to return.
“I was in the car park as the Halesowen team got on their team bus,” he recalled. “I got on, congratulated them and picked up the trophy. I thought ‘I want to come back and win it’.
“Fortunately, only a few years later, I did win it with Yeading (1-0 against Bridlington Town) in a replay at Elland Road – it still sends a tingle down my spine.”
In those early years, Bartlett learned the importance of having good staff around him to share the burden.
“At Southall, Micky Byrne was the manager before I took over,” he said. “He got the sack, but I brought him back as coach/assistant manager. I had so much time for him, his enthusiasm and energy.
“We were chalk and cheese but, working together, we were successful. It taught me a valuable lesson – you need good people around you.
“I was lucky in that I inherited Leo Morris at Hounslow – that was probably the most fortunate thing that ever happened. We worked together for so many years and one of the moments that gave me the most satisfaction, looking back, was when I stopped the lads before going out at Elland Road and asked Leo to lead them out.
“It was the highest compliment I could pay him and we won it – I should have let him do it before!”
Influence
In over three decades as a manager, Bartlett worked with loads of top-class players. Two who went on to bigger and better things were Les Ferdinand, who played under him at Southall, and Jermaine Beckford, who sparked at Wealdstone.
“Ability-wise, there was never a doubt,” said Bartlett of the two former Premier League forwards.
“Both were laid-back characters in their own way. They were totally different, but they needed to realise what they could achieve out of football.
“Jermaine was the coolest finisher I’ve ever seen and Les just had that power about him and was strong in the air.”
Something that Bartlett is proud of is the link-up that Stones had with nearby Watford.
“We had the likes of Britt Assombalonga, Theo Robinson and Luke O’Nien on loan,” he said. “The best summing up came from Watford boss Aidy Boothroyd.
“He said ‘Turn my boys into men for me’. I don’t think professional clubs do enough of that. I would be a massive advocate of them sending out their young players.”
Of course, it’s not just the odd star player here or there that will make the difference in Non-League. The team ethic is crucial.
Bartlett said: “It’s all about moulding that spirit and producing a team of characters that blend together to give you success. You need to know the influence a player has in the changing room.
“Take the late Paul Sweales, who scored the winner in the Vase final. He was a pain in the neck at times, but he was such a character on the off the pitch. He was bubbly, he scored goals.
“He became a manager and one day he asked me for some advice. I said ‘Don’t ever sign anyone like you!”.
“A person that meant so much to Wealdstone was Fergus Moore and I still regret I had a fallout with how I treated him.
“I let him go on three occasions but brought him back twice. I realised too late how much of an influence he was. That passion, desire and energy – if you could bottle it, you would earn a fortune.
“I wasn’t wrong with the decision, but I was with how I handled it. You have to look back sometimes and say ‘that was wrong, I hold my hand up’. I know that Fergie has accepted that, though he still doesn’t like it!
“There are so many people. Chris O’Leary was another one. He had a real determination, he played for the shirt and the fans respect that.”
With football plunged into uncertainty due to the coronavirus crisis, you can understand why Bartlett is happy to be away from the dugout these days.
The retired PE teacher has had to focus on his own health in recent times, having had a hip replacement and two new knees to bed in.
“I’m trying to rebuild myself,” he joked.
But for a man who played such a pivotal part in Wealdstone’s rebuild, you can expect him to come through with flying colours.