KEV’S GOT A MARKET STRATEGY
KEVIN HORLOCK says Needham Market’s FA Trophy run is the culmination of years of hard work by many people – and he wants everyone who has played their part at the club to share the success.
The Southern League Premier Central club are enjoying an historic run in NonLeague’s top competition.
Scalps of Step 1 sides Wealdstone and Yeovil Town have set up a home date with National League South high-flyers Dartford on Saturday.
Needham boss Horlock is proud of his players – many of whom he believes can and will play at a higher level.
But the former Manchester City, West Ham and Ipswich Town midfielder also wants to salute the people who put in the hours away from the spotlight.
“I was made up for the lads when we drew Yeovil in the last round first and foremost,” Horlock told The NLP. “It gave the young lads the opportunity to see what the National League looks like because they are all aspiring to get there and beyond.
“It was also brilliant for the older players who maybe haven’t experienced that before. Yeovil is a big club, they were in the Championship not that many years ago.
Leeway
“But that draw and all the hype around it was for much more than just the lads – it was for everyone.
“This club has got an unbelievable structure. It’s been built over time from the bottom up. We’ve got a fantastic Academy, a forward-thinking CEO and Academy director, we’ve got really good young players.
“A lot of hard work has gone in over the years. People probably see the end result – the new 3G, the first team pitch looking unbelievable. But they don’t always see the process to get here. It has been hard work by so many people.
“To get this far in the Trophy is for everybody connected over the years, past and present.”
It’s why Horlock is pleased to have been drawn the Darts at home to allow the volunteers who couldn’t make it to Yeovil to enjoy a big day.
It’s the latest fillip for the Suffolk club, who are also seeing the fruits of their academy structure both in the first team and beyond.
First year scholar Taylor Clark has been on trial at Aston Villa and Hans Mpongo joined Brentford this week, while academy student Hugh Cullum has played for England Schools.
Monday evenings see a club training night where scholars train with the first team as part fo their development, which also includes men’s football in the Eastern Counties League.
Horlock is academy manager by day and the 49-yearold says he has the perfect licence to blood youngster in the first team.
“I was obviously academy manager when I first came in and took the reserves – I think the academy manager also being the first team manager is a good way to go,” he said. “I’m not saying that because it’s me at this club. It works well because I am with the lads on a daily basis. It gives me a bit of leeway. First team managers want to win games of football to keep his job and be successful. Sometimes that can make it difficult to trust younger players. “Whereas I am on both sides, it is one whole club, and I get a bit of leeway with putting younger lads in, if it doesn’t work out I can take them back out and so on. “They’re not just thrown in. I work with them, a lot have played a lot of men’s football in the reserves under age James Mant, which has developed them.
“I always think back to when I started. I was a young player at Swindon. I’m not sure I was ready for my first team debut, but with injuries I got given an opportunity, I did alright and took my chance. You need that first chance otherwise how do you ever know?
Approach
“You still want to win games, obviously, so it’s then about bringing lads with experience around the young players. I think we have a good balance.”
Horlock says they don’t want their Trophy run to end but knows they face a dangerous Dartford next.
“Dartford is my local team – I was born in Kent so I know them well,” Horlock said. “We’ve got a spring in our step because going to Yeovil and winning brings confidence but Dartford are a good outfit. They’re going well in their league and if we don’t approach it like we did Yeovil – and every other game – we could be in for a hiding.
“We’re home, which is nice, but we will have to be on it and play as well as we can to give us a chance. We’ll definitely be ready for it and looking forward to it.”