BEECH BOYS ARE COASTING IT!
CHRIS BEECH says his AFC Fylde side have already embarked on an arduous journey in their bid for the National League survival – to the lengths of Istanbul in one month alone.
The 49-year-old has completely turned around fortunes at Mill Farm this season, leading the club’s resurgence from a perilous position at the foot of the table to the cusp of mid-table comfort.
It’s a run which has given the Coasters a solid chance of staying up amidst a congested bottom half of the table, but Beech insists its bhis players who deserve the credit for overcoming the challenges that only the National League can bring.
“When I took over 15 games in, we’d won two, drawn three and lost ten,” said Beech, who switched roles from director of football following the departure of Adam Murray in October.
Ingredients
“From where we were then to where we are now, I’m very pleased with everybody’s efforts. It’s credit for a job and a journey we are making, but we’re not done yet.
“It’s there for them [survival]. It’s the players who need the plaudits, they are the ones doing it. I gratefully follow, but it’s them who deserve the credit.
“The Non-League range is so vast and you need different ingredients over a season; whether its facilities, 4G, the different styles and venues. It’s a real test of character.
“Then there’s overnight stays, I think we’ve got 13 in a league programme this season, there’s so many things that come at you. You have to deal with all sorts of stuff as well as try and coach a team and try to represent winning traits. “We’ve done that, but we’ve still got a lot to do.”
Indeed, you only need look back to the start of February to assess the scale of Fylde’s progress.
Successive away victories at Dorking Wanderers, Eastleigh and Aldershot saw Beech’s men gain precious reward for putting miles on the clock – and gather serious momentum along the way.
Challenges
“The games tick off so quick,” Beech, the former Carlisle United chief said after Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw at relegation rivals Kidderminster.
“Last month, we had four trips to London. I looked at the mileage and it was more than Fylde to Istanbul on a coach. We went to Eastleigh on a Saturday and then Aldershot on the Tuesday. They are the different challenges you have to face.
“Now, we’ve just done three consecutive away games, York, Chesterfield and Kidderminster in the space of seven days, so it’s tough. Real tough, but to play like we did tonight and to be as resilient as that, I’m really pleased.
“What we’ve got to do now is finish the season well with our seven opportunities.
“As I say, we haven’t succeeded yet and you can’t take the plaudits until you have something g tangible.
“We’ve got to make sure we keep pushing and probing because if we don’t we will get our fingers burned.”