Manager’s thoughts :Season 2004 – 2005

Well, where did the season go? It doesn’t seem 2 minutes since we kicked off and now I’m sat here talking all about its end!

The kids had a fairly good season, we are in the fortunate position of having several players with great abilities and several others really pushing them for places. This gives me untold headaches on who I play and how I play them though, proving every plus has its minus!

I was sad to lose a couple of players through the season, but in equal proportion we had two little gems in Charlie Beard and Adam Chamberlain joining us. They have both shown at times outstanding displays and I’m sure there’s more to come from them next season.

I think that we proved that overall we can hold our own. We have also shown at times that we can be a formidable force. Opposing managers have always commented on what a great side we have and in those comments themselves it gives me great pleasure to be their manager.

I’m personally happy with the season overall. It was my first season, and while I accept I made a few mistakes, I’m also sure I made some right choices. There have been many experiences I’ve learnt from and I plan to use them to make it a better and more fun environment for the kids next season.

The only wish I have for next season from the kids is that I would like them to put a little more effort into training. Inspiration to anyone of the players should be taken from Mathew Notton. When he first joined us he was a quite shy individual.He put great effort and concentration into training, not just on training days, but at home also. By the end of this season, we had seen him grow into one of the best defenders we have seen all year. He is a true sportsman and looks to have a bright future.

This is not forgetting all the other players, they’ve all shown tremendous effort and courage, they’ve achieved probably more than they realise, and for that, I thank them all.

Lastly, I like to say a special thank you to my better half in Vickie. Without her I don’t know what I’d do. To the parents also, I thank you for such great support throughout the season.