What a day! A fan even hugged me in dugout
IN MANAGEMENT, your world can change in an instant. Last weekend we lost to a League Two team, Grimsby Town, in the FA Cup and a money- spinning third round tie had gone. This weekend we beat high- flyers Salford 2-0 and we can feel that we are making progress.
We were looking for our first National League win since August, and when I set off just after 11am for the one-hour drive in, I knew we were facing a tough afternoon — perhaps my toughest since I’ve been at this club.
I went out to watch our warmup and the stadium was deathly quiet, even though there were over 5,000 people in and not even 300 of them Salford fans.
On the spur of the moment, at 2.45pm, I gathered the players around me in the middle of the pitch in the rain and asked them how was this going to change. How were we going to get all these people, who’d paid good money to be here, singing our name?
Sometimes it’s when you’re up against it in management that you roll the dice. You don’t want to die wondering whether a young player you never played might have done it for you. I started with an 18-year-old, Levi Amantchi, at centre forward. He set up a goal after 90 seconds.
I can’t say I won all the hearts and minds because of that. There was some ironic singing about us winning at home. I shut that out and carried on doing what I do.
As a manager, I issue a lot of instructions during games. Not every manager does. That’s just my way. I kick every ball. I make every tackle. I always have done. I wanted Levi to drop into the hole when we were out of possession.
I wanted my central midfielder to hit his man when closing him down. I pulled my left back across to support my centre half. I asked Alex Kiwomya to drop in on the near flank. The players responded to what I asked. They were with me perhaps like never before.
Salford came back at us. They’re riding high in the league for a reason. They’ve spent heavily to push for promotion. I left my coat behind at half-time and came out in my grey sweater, with sleeves rolled up. It was cold and wet but I felt constricted.
I went 4-5-1, replaced my big forward Tom Denton with Jordan Hallam, who’s very mobile, and inside five minutes he set up a second goal. Jordan ran 40 yards, took a shot which their goalkeeper palmed against the post. Alex followed up to find the net.
Salford came back very hard at us. I don’t know where six minutes of second-half injury time came from. It was bedlam in those closing stages — like nothing else I’ve experienced these past four months. But we held out. Just before the final whistle, a fan got into the technical area to hug me. It is not supposed to happen but I hugged him back. I think the stewards were unsure whether to lead him away or join us. But after the past few weeks I didn’t care. The place was bouncing by the end. I embraced my players as they left the field and then sent them back out to do a lap of the pitch and acknowledge the support.
The supporters loved seeing a young player, like Levi, coming up from the youth team. He gave us fresh energy. He listens. He doesn’t do what he wants to do. He wants to do what’s best for the team. He’s different. He’s a bit like Paulo Wanchope in his style of play and perhaps I waited too long to give him his chance.
I don’t know if this a result to turn the season round. That would be a big statement to make. It’s one game. But we’re alive and kicking. I’ve cancelled the Christmas party because we have serious work to do, though in the past seven weeks, we’ve won three, drawn seven and lost one, against a League Two team.
We were relegated twice in two years before I arrived. I hope we’ll be looking back a year from now and saying that Saturday before Christmas, when all seemed lost, was the day we turned a corner.
Cup was half full
THE Cup run brought some good moments, despite the disappointment of not making the third round. There was a fan who went ballistic behind our goal when we scored in the win at AFC Fylde. I showed the footage at my Q & A night and now he’s going to come in and meet me and my staff.