Bentley’s focus turns to Port improvement
JIM Bentley was able to reflect on a job well done after successfully guiding Southport FC to National League North safety – and now the Sandgrounders chief turns his attention to improving things next season.
Bentley took charge with Port in a perillous position, bottom of the table with one point from their opening six games.
After taking the reins from Liam Watson, he lifted the club out of the relegation zone and even flirted with a potential shot at the play-offs at one stage.
Injuries took their toll, however, and in the end Port finished in 17th spot.
The manager and his players applauded the club’s supporters who travelled to the north east for Saturday’s final game against South Shields.
Beaten 3-0, it was hardly vintage stuff from Bentley’s men, but the manager was able to look at the bigger picture at the end of a season which has seen changes in the dugout and the boardroom.
“It was all about getting safe,” he said. “I’m thankful that we never had to come here and get a result because they are the biggest possession-based side. They won 7-0 last time out, 2-0 the time before. They’re a good side, so everyone can celebrate what we’ve done in the end.
“It’s not where we want to be but it’s my job to try and get us better now with the backing of the board and and try and shape it.
“I think we’ve improved in certain areas but there’s a lot of work to be done to get us where we want to be and that’s certainly not at this end of the table, it’s certainly not with the defensive record we’ve got, it’s certainly not with the home record that we’ve got.
“But there’s some things to be really proud of as well and one of them’s been on on the road this year – we’ve been brilliant. So we’ll pick the bones out of it, see what’s what and get our work done and come back preseason fighting there and ready to go.
“It’s brilliant for the fans to come from where we were and where we’ve got to. For them to travel in the numbers that they did, I think it’s right that they all go over there and shake hands with every one of them and sign a few autographs because they’ve been massive this season.
“When you are rooted to the bottom of the league it’s easy to boo and get on players’ backs. But from the very first game I came to before I got the job, they clapped the team off the pitch after being beaten 2-0 against Chorley. We went down to 10 men and it could have been a lot worse but they kept behind them and that’s what they’re done home and away, really stuck with the team and I’m pleased for them more than anyone that we’re still in the division.
“Now it’s a time to take stock, do what we need to do and look forward to next season where hopefully we can improve.
“The loan lads I spoke to on Thursday because they’ve got other clubs to go back to and have their own individual chats.
“We’ll speak to people on Tuesday, there’s a lot going on. Again, all the positivity around the Big Help coming in and Peter (Mitchell) and all the ambition and things like that has been a big turn around on the field and off the field as well. It’s a transitional period. Ian Kyle and Liam Watson, now I know what’s gone on, they’ve done a fantastic job and now Peter and the Big Help have picked up the reins and we’re looking to kick on.
“But it’s a big transitional perod, there’s people who have come and gone, there’s new roles, new things that need to be sorted. I’m a new manager, I’ve got to shape things as I see it, so it has been a big, big turn around on the field and off the field.”
It promises to be a busy summer period for Bentley.
“What we do now is we speak to the players, we’ve got to be honest,” he said.
“Obviously, like always happens in football, some will go, some are on contract, the loan lads will go back to their own clubs and then suddenly you’re into the big rat race! That’s the business, that’s what you’ve got to do and all we can do as a staff is identify players we feel can improve us.
“Obviously, there’s players who’ve left and I want to go on record and thank them because they all played their part, everyone who put the boots on and ran on the pitch and represented the club have played their part in getting us to where we are.”
Bentley spoke of his personal pride in achieving safety.
“I’m quite proud of what we’ve done,” he said. “We’d lost the last eight games last season and taken one point from the first six games this season and if you look at it we’ve had some suspensions where we’ve been hard done, we’ve had horrific injuries, Jordan Archer has been one of the best players at the club over the last couple of years – he played six or seven games for us.
“I’m gutted for him as a footballer for the injuries that he’s had and the setback he’s had but he’s one that played his part and got that goal against Brackley and and done what he needed to do.
“But we’ve had quite a lot of them with Tyler Walton injured a couple of months out, Declan Evans and Harry Flowers at the back looked good and we were going to have a late run for the play-offs but then Dec gets injured and we just filtered away.
“What looked like it might be a late run for the play-offs filtered back into a relegation battle! So we’ve been very up and down. But my record’s not bad, it’s more than enough to have kept us up which, when you come in and it’s a 40-game season for you, there’s no magic wands in football, you’ve got to try and improve and improve quickly.
“There’s no bedding in period. That’s what we’ve done so I’m proud. Now we have to take stock and do what we can with what we’ve got available and ultimately just try and improve in all areas.
“That’s what I’m about, that’s what we want and we want to start enjoying ourselves a little bit more than being in the position that we find ourselves certainly over the this season and last season. We’ll see what happens now.”*