A second successive promotion challenge at Spalding United is down to the input of the manager and chairman, says a Tulips defender.
Connor Brown is a key part of a squad which has taken the club from struggling at the foot of the Pitching In Southern League Premier Central to six points from the top. No team has taken more points in the last ten matches than Jimmy Dean’s side.
And 32-year-old Brown hands much of the credit to Dean and chairman Andrew Killingsworth for their ambition and drive.
“The first thing about Jimmy is that he’s honest,” said the defender. “If you’ve had a bad game he’ll tell you, but he’ll also tell you when you’ve played well.
“He loves the game and the detail in his training sessions is great. He’s a professional manager in a semi-professional league, if you know what I mean.
“I don’t know too much about Jimmy’s remit when he was brought in but if it was stability this season, he wouldn’t just settle for stability,” said the defender. “We know he wants more than that and that’s what we’ve strived for. That’s what we’ve done and we’ve gone about that quietly.”
A few eyebrows were raised outside the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field when Elliot Sandy was sacked as boss after two defeats in the first three matches of this campaign. It was after steering the Tulips to the Northern League Midland Division title in his first full season in senior management – and soon after signing a two-year contract.
But Killingsworth knew what he was doing in going for the pedigree of Dean, who had managed Scunthorpe United and Peterborough Sports in the National League. As Dean’s influence on the Tulips’ squad grew, the tide inevitably turned.
Brown, who joined from Ilkeston Town in late September, was one of the manager’s first signings and has only tasted defeat twice since. He was handed the captain’s armband in Glenn Walker’s absence.
Sheffield-based Brown admits the travel was a concern but said: “When Jimmy told me his ambition for the club and the chairman’s ambition, it was something I couldn’t really turn down.
“It’s been a great run we’ve been on. The most important thing about being on a run like this is having a good dressing room – and we’ve got that.”
With league doubles over top two Bedford Town and Stratford Town and a draw against Kettering Town, the Tulips have fared well against most of the top sides and have nothing to fear in the next three months.
The fans are certainly enjoying what they’re seeing too. The Tulips’ average gate is 419 – a huge increase from just a few seasons ago.
“The fans have been great,” added Brown. “If you could end the season now the fans would probably say, after coming up last year, that finishing just outside the play-offs was good progress. But let’s see what else we can do this season.”
There was a slight blip last Saturday when a crowd of 495 saw a dour 0-0 home draw with Royston Town. There were few chances at either end. Dean called it a “frustrating afternoon” and the midfield five had not been at their usual high level.
Tulips: Chapman, Walker (c), Fox, Moore, Cartwright, Lawlor, Sembie-Ferris (Hudson 83), Clifton, Cybulski, Sano-Sani (Ngandu 72), Nyahwema (Brown 83).
Attendance: 495.
l Attention quickly turns to Saturday and a lengthy trip to Banbury United in Oxfordshire. The opposition have four wins from 12 at home and are fighting to keep clear of the relegation zone.
There’s an attractive clash at the Sir Halley Stewart on Tuesday when the Tulips take on Scunthorpe United for a place against either Cleethorpes Town or Stamford in the Lincolnshire Senior A Cup final.
