IT’S ONE EL OF A SUCCESS STORY
GARY ELPHICK says Hastings United’s title triumph is the perfect reward for everyone at the Sussex club after their last two promotion pushes were derailed by Covid.
The U’s were top of the Isthmian Division One South East when both the 2019-20 and 202021 seasons were terminated early.
But they’ve used it as fuel to fire this season’s success with the title confirmed last weekend.
And boss Elphick couldn’t be happier for everyone at the club.
“It just shows how good the group is in terms of being good people – they are grafters and weren’t going to let two or three years of hard work go to waste,” he told The
NLP. “That’s been fantastic.
“I’m just a spokesperson for them really. It’s all about the group. The dressing room, for me, is sacred and the one thing I wanted to protect this year.
“We have and got the result everyone at the club deserves – on and off the pitch. Everything has been done right. Hastings is a fantastically run club in Non-League football.”
Elphick started the campaign as a player before the surprise resignation of Chris Agutter in November.
The 36-year-old hung up his playing boots and returned to the dug-out having won promotion from Step 4 as Worthing player-boss alongside Jon Meeney in 2016.
Elphick admits, despite the success, he was too young to make that step and believes he has shown at Hastings he has learnt a lot.
“I’ve got a lot to thank the board for to even think about appointing me in the first place,” Elphick said. “I also brought in Jon Meeney and he’s been great, along with the staff.
Booming
“But it’s also been great how the players have responded to me. Especially when you’ve been playing alongside them, they could think, ‘Hang on a minute, who is this coming in thinking he’s Mr Manager now’.
“I’ve just been honest with people and I’m so proud of all the lads. They’re such a good group of human beings.”
The U’s were outside the play-offs when he took over before they charged clear of the pack.
Crowds have been booming – they recently had 3,800 against Haywards Heath Town – and Elphick hopes it’s a sign of things to come.
“The fans have played a major part – we rock up to away games and sometimes it feels like you’re at home,” he said. “When a club is successful and everything is running in straight lines, it shows and it’s been fantastic. Sometimes it’s all about timing in football – you’ve got to have the right people in the right place at the right time. Thankfully that’s happened this season at Hastings.”