With Louth Town in the frame for promotion, boss Daryl Clare reflects on his first campaign in the Park Avenue dugout so far.
Q In your first season as manager, Louth Town have been mixing it up at the higher end of the Northern Counties East League Division One. How happy are you with the team's progress?
A We've had a relatively successful season so far. We're chasing the leaders. There's no real pressure on us to get promotion this season – that's more of a dream than a 'must'. We've got a few of the top teams this month so we'll be have a better idea at the end of it as to whether we've realistically got a chance or not.
QThis is your first managerial position. How has it been, moving into the dugout?
A Football management is 24/7, whatever level you're playing at. It's a glorified baby-sitting job really. I've been baby-sitting 30 men and trying to keep them all happy, and work them all out. It's enjoyable but pretty full-on!
Q Which areas of Louth's game do you feel you need to improve going forward, and what parts of the team have impressed you so far this season?
A Attacking-wise, we have been scoring quite a few – but we've also been conceding too. We need to defend better as a team, and as a unit. Apart from Matt Kennedy, who is scoring all our goals, the underlying togetherness and team spirit has probably won us a few plaudits along the way, and has certainly won us a few points.
Q It's still fairly tight at the top of the table. Do you feel it's a fairly open battle for promotion?
A Definitely. There are six or seven teams that are probably capable of achieving promotion. We class ourselves as one of those sides. But we've got to make sure no-one starts to run away with it. We need to put a winning run together as soon as possible. It's been tough over Christmas – we had four postponements and that disrupted our form. Now we're looking to get back on it and string a few wins together.
QNewly-promoted Cleethorpes Town are up there challenging as well. Do you agree that adds a bit of local spice at the top of the table?
A Yes it does. But credit to both clubs – I think we've forged a good relationship. They are having a fantastic run and are probably one of the best in-form sides – we'll be trying to hang on to their tails.
QYou've made a couple of appearances for Louth yourself this season, scoring two goals (a penalty in a 3-2 defeat at Knaresborough, and an 88th-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw at Teversal). Have you enjoyed lacing up your boots and getting out there again?
A They were unintentional appearances! I did say when I took the job that I didn't want to play. But we've had circumstances where we've been struggling with player availability, so I've had to step in. It's been interesting! There's a little bit of rust but nothing I've been used to dealing with in the pro game. It's a little bit no-holds barred at this level, though, I have to say!
