CHRIS’ LEADING A VICTORY CRUSADE
OVERJOYED boss Chris Devane spoke of his ‘phenomenal feeling’ after guiding Berkhamsted to Step 3 for the first time in their history.
A 0-0 draw at home to Kidlington on April 1 was enough to confirm Berko as Southern League Division One Central champions, just days after they had captured the Hertfordshire Senior Cup with a penalty shoot-out victory over Hitchin Town.
And with the job completed with five games to play, Comrades boss Devane can look back on a season to remember.
Intensity
“It’s a phenomenal feeling, if I’m honest,” said the 32-year-old, who has also led the club to best ever runs in the FA Cup and FA Trophy.
“Especially after losing in the play-off semi-final last year when we were so far clear of everyone else in the play-offs.
“It was a tough pre-season to get everyone refocused, and to bounce back like we have, I’m really proud.’’
Berko’s triumph also had personal meaning for Devane, for reasons beyond football.
“I was actually in tears after the Kidlington game, because it’s been a tough year personally,’’ he explained.
“My dad’s been quite sick, but he’s back to full health now, which is great. To see him then supporting us was a phenomenal moment.”
Devane’s side won 25 of the 32 league fixtures before yesterday, losing just three.
And the former Crawley Green and Biggleswade United boss isolated one particular principle as a significant contributor to his side’s success.
“I always say to the lads that there’s nothing you can do to stop intensity,” he said.
“There’s no tactics or ways in which teams can stop intensity, so that’s reflected in how we play and how we train, and that’s how we win games.”
With promotion now secured, next season represents a journey into the unknown for both Devane and the Hertfordshire club, as they prepare to tackle Step 3 and the Southern League Premier Central for the first time since the club was founded following the demise of Berkhamsted Town in 2009.
“Obviously, the main priority for next season is simply to stay in the league,’’ the boss added. “But internally we’ve got a bit of confidence that we can obtain a mid-table finish, or even higher.
“We’ve also got a really good database of players that we’ve kept internally, and now we’re in Step 3, we’re almost shopping in a different supermarket.”
Integrity
But even though the job is complete, the Comrades still have their final fixtures of this season to complete – and Devane is keen to ensure that standards don’t slip.
‘’We are champions, but we’ve got to act like champions and we’ve got to play like champions,’’ he explained.
‘’We’ve got an unbeaten home record which stretches back a year and a half, and it’s important to us to keep that going. “And we can also have an affect on who finishes in the play-offs, so it’s important that we play with integrity, for the integrity of the league and for the integrity of ourselves.”