KEV’S BAGGED BARGAIN WITH MARKMETMEN
KEVIN Horlock always expected subtle summer tweaks to make an impact – but even he is surprised by Needham Market’s status as champions-elect.
The Marketmen travelled to Long Eaton United yesterday with a four-point cushion and two games in hand over nearest challengers Mickleover at the top of Southern League Premier Division Central, safe in the knowledge that seven wins from their remaining 10 matches would be enough to guarantee glory whatever anyone else does.
Not bad for a side that finished sixth-bottom last season with 48 points, a tally surpassed on January 13 this time, but the huge turnaround had been achieved through evolution rather than revolution.
Former Manchester City and Ipswich midfielder Horlock told The NLP: “We underachieved in the league last season. We knew we were better than that and made good additions, not many but they have changed the dynamics of the team.
“Bringing in Tommy (Smith) at left-back, who doesn’t always get the credit he deserves, enabled Jake Dye to go to the right and Kyle Hammond into the middle. Tevan Allen has been unbelievable and we have young players who are improving.
“I knew we were capable of being in and around it, I would be lying if I said I expected this but we are in this position now and it is ours to throw away. There will be twists and turns, everyone thinks it is going to be plain sailing but I have been in football long enough to know it is not like that. We will lose games and so will others.
“The games are running out which is beneficial for us. We will just keep chugging away, try to get the biggest points total possible and see where that takes us.”
Success so far has been built on the stingiest defence at Step 3, a record that is all the more remarkable when you factor in the six goals conceded at Stratford Town on the opening day.
That setback made Horlock “doubt everything you believe in” on a tough journey home but his own learning curve since taking over in February 2020 has made a difference.
“We have slightly changed the way we play,” he acknowledged.
“I came in with this love affair with football, I wanted to see everything played on the floor, play out from the back, triangles, all of that.
“It is great in your mind and it is great when you are playing FIFA on the Xbox but in the real world it doesn’t get you titles or success, you have to be able to mix it – play at the right times but also stick your bodies on the line and leave it in areas.
“Sometimes it is not nice to watch. This (Tuesday’s 1-1 draw at Stourbridge) was not nice to watch but we got another point. We would probably have lost that game with the way we played in the past three years.
“It was as good as a win for me. Travelling on Tuesdays is tough in this division, we left at 3pm and some lads had to drive because they couldn’t finish work early.
“We had 13 players, one had to turn back because of the traffic. Against all that we will take the point.”
Try as he might, Horlock struggles to hide a glint in his eye as he fields inevitable talk of the title.
“We are not there yet but it is getting close,” he admits. “The lads were a little bit down about the point but I told them, the games are running out. It feels like a bit of a slog but that was a good point.
“Teams have that bit of extra energy when the table toppers are in town, we have found that but we are finding ways to keep going.
“We don’t have a big squad so anyone missing is a big hurdle, keeping everyone fit will be key, especially with the games coming thick and fast. It is about staying injury free and maintaining standards.
“I have a really good group, though. They train properly, work hard and don’t know when they are beaten, they find ways to win most of the time. We just have to keep it going.”