All friends together – except on the whistle

JERRY GILL believes the comradery of the National League South play-off participants is what Non-League is all about – but now there’s no time for sentiment.

The Bath City manager has been in regular contact with other bosses during lockdown as they’ve worked together to conclude the season.

And now the wait is finally over as the Step 2 play-offs get underway today with the Romans hosting Dorking Wanderers in the eliminator round, where they came unstuck against Wealdstone last year.

Gill has once again seen progress on the pitch with his team improving on fifth place to finish fourth and wants his side to go one better in the play-offs too.

Dorking know how to win promotion having won 11 to reach National South although this season’s build-up has been drastically different to usual. But despite the long wait and all the protocols, Gill now feels comfortable having had three weeks to work with his squad.

He’s been able to re-sign loan stars Alex Hartridge from Exeter, Colchester’s Noah Chilvers, Dan Bowry from Cheltenham and Bristol City duo Sam Pearson and Zak Vyner, and has a fully fit squad to choose from.

“It almost feels like the norm now,” he told The

NLP. “There’s no extra time which we were a bit disappointed with.

“Being able to use five subs brings something different to the occasion. You can almost plot around how you want the game to go, but there will always be an equation thrown up that you might have to react to. “The players have come back in with real good fitness levels. It feels like Christmas Day every time they come in. “The loan players are with us and play an integral part in our squad. That shows the respect their clubs have got for our football club letting them play.

“We’ve done our homework on Dorking. We’re fully aware of what they will bring and our team selection is always about us and what we can do.” Bath beat Dorking 1-0 at Twerton Park in October before taking a point in a stalemate at the beginning of February. Wanderers boss Marc White is one of the managers Gill has been in touch with as clubs problem-solved together to get the play-offs on. Now it’s back to being the fiercest of rivals.

“We all joke that the numbers have been deleted from our phones and now it’s business time and sentiment goes out of the window,” said Gill. “I joked with Kingy (Steve King, Dartford manager) that I’m in danger of liking him! He’s a good guy, we’ve had good football chats. “But, joking aside, it shows what NonLeague football is about. Moments like we’ve had going through this horrendous pandemic shows real people pull together. I’m sure those relationships will continue albeit not when the whistle goes.”