HARRIS IS DIGGING DEEP FOR PITMEN!
Revived Town are starting to believe again
PREVENTING fans from staring down the mineshaft has been as important as pulling Hednesford Town away from relegation for new boss Harry Harris.
The Pitmen have dropped to unknown depths in recent years and are playing outside Non-League’s top three tiers for the first time since the 1980s, having almost folded over the summer.
An 11th-hour deal was struck to keep football at Keys Park but on-field struggles continued with Danny Glover leaving before the end of October.
Harris, who guided Walsall Wood to the Midland Football League championship last season, was the next to take on what many warned him would be a “poisoned chalice”.
It looked a thankless task with Hednesford four points adrift of safety in Northern Premier League West having played at least two more matches than the rest of the strugglers.
His impact wasn’t instant but a run of three straight home wins has lifted the mood and his new-look team to within touching distance of safety.
“It has been a period of transition and tough if I’m honest, 24-7, but it has been good,” Harris told The NLP.
“We have had to ship out a lot of players – decent players but not the right mentality for where we are now – and bring in lads who I feel are better equipped to get us out of this situation.
“The team spirit and togetherness has improved massively and that is starting to show on the pitch.
“We had to change the mentality, not only of the team but the whole club. I haven’t just been managing a team, I have tried to get the whole club thinking in a more positive way.
Upbeat
“In our first away game in charge we took a good point at Avro with ten men and I felt like the committee members and fans were disappointed – I tried to flip it, to look at the positives of getting something with ten men.
“It is changing that thinking and now, when we go up for food after the games, there is that positivity about the place that every club needs.
“It is nice because the fans trust what we are doing. The club has been galvanised by recent performances, the fans are on our side now and I am proud that there is a buzz about the place.”
Harris is also upbeat about off-field developments following the announcement that Craig and Amanda Gwilt are set to take over from Hayden Dando, the man who temporarily stepped back in to keep the Pitmen alive.
“I have had a couple of meetings with them and have been really impressed,” said Harris, who was hopeful the takeover would be completed “in the next couple of weeks”.
“They are ambitious and professional, they have told me I am a big part of their plans and the man to get things going which is nice to hear, (they have) offered me a contract. It is nice to have that backing and I am looking forward to working with them.”