AVE IT! MILLERS MOVING ON UP
DANNY Scopes knew Aveley were onto a good thing this season – when they lost to promotion rivals Stowmarket Town!
The Millers sealed the Pitching In Isthmian North title on Easter Monday to return to Step 3 ten years after dropping out of it.
Scopes took over from respected boss Keith Rowland in November.
In their first meeting, the former Concord Rangers manager and his staff told the players they wanted to help them win promotion.
And it was an unbeaten run off the back of a defeat that really helped propel them to the championship.
“The moment that really told me we had a good group was when we went to Stowmarket,” Scopes told The NLP. “We played really well, it was 1-1, we missed a penalty and they scored from a corner in the 92nd-minute so we lost 2-1.
“I didn’t know the group too well but I walked back in the dressing room and I could see the disappointment on their faces from losing, but I could also see how well we played and how good we could be. That was a trigger moment.
Attributes
“I remember saying to the boys on that day: We are going to remember this moment. I was confident we could challenge and get promoted.
“We went away without any points but it was a key moment. We went 18 games undefeated, we’ve only lost once at home all season – which was recently – so to go on that run and get points against some really good sides was a great testament to the group we have.”
In a league packed with derby games and hard-fought rivalries, a key part of their rise to the top was keeping the back door shut while still making the most of their attacking attributes.
Scopes won promotion from the same division as
joint manager alongside
Danny Cowley at Concord, who he guided to the FA Trophy final in the 2019-20 season, so dropping down to Step 4 didn’t faze him.
“It wasn’t a gamble in terms of the club,” he said. “It was more in that I was replacing a manager who had done brilliantly for the football club and was a hero in the fans’ and players’ eyes for what he had given them – and rightly so.
Emotion
“We had a great FA Trophy run at Concord and would like to think people would think about how our management team did there, so I accepted that. “Craig (Johnson) and the committee took that gamble to make a change and we were offered the opportunity.
“I was stepping down a couple of leagues which didn’t bother me at all. So I didn’t think it was a gamble because I knew if I could get the group on side we could do something and help the club.
“The crowds have gone up, we’ve had a couple of over 700-800 in a couple of games, it’s a great location in a great area.”
And he was proud to see the jubilant scenes at the final whistle after Monday’s victory over Tilbury booked their place at Step 3 next season.
“Once you’re over the line, to see the celebrations – we had lots of youth team players there as mascots – the excitement,” Scopes said. “It’s a promotion at the new stadium for the first time. It was a pleasure to see that emotion.
“Some people have been at the club a long, long time. To help them get over the line makes you proud.”