Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
Nottingham Forest’s rise from the Second Division to being European Cup champions inside three years under Brian Clough was immortalised in the 2015 book and film ‘I Believe in Miracles’.
Now new Athersley Rec manager Jimmy Whitehead isn’t going to be delivering ‘old big ears’ to the Sheerian Park trophy cabinet.
But the work rate, effort and desire of his players in his two games as caretaker boss have given him belief in pulling off his own miracle of keeping Athersley in the Toolstation NCEL Premier Division.
The task is going to be tough as the Rec have really struggled for the last two years and are the only side in the Division to not have a budget.
“Nine times out of ten the team with no money would get relegated, maybe in the last couple of years if the pandemic hadn’t happen maybe they would have gone down,” Whitehead told Non League Yorkshire.
“But this is a new year and new season and with what we have gone through in the last 18 months it should give anyone the passion and energy to come to football and work their hardest.
“We had to stay in for months on end and we would have done anything to get out and play football and see each other.
“We want to create that bond and good environment to come and play and train in and I think if you do that you’ll get the best out of the players.
“If we can squeeze five or ten percent more out of these players we’ll stay up.
“I’m 100% confident in that.
“If we don’t, we stick together and make a pact to come back stronger.
“But I’m not thinking about that and as you say believing in miracles, they can happen if everyone believes in it together and I’ve seen in the last two games that people were believing.
“Did anyone give us a chance against Handsworth to even compete?
“I don’t think they did.
“I went home disappointed that we lost 2-1.
“Before the game I would have probably taken 2-1.
“It wasn’t backs to the wall.
“We went after them and i think we surprised them and maybe we can surprise a few other teams.
“If anything I’m hoping people under-estimate and hope we’re an easy touch.”
Athersley have been at the foot of the table for the past two seasons since opting going down the route of blooding youngsters.
Whitehead – who has replaced Shane Kelsey – admits avoiding relegation would be some accomplishment.
“I think it would be an unbelievable achievement (to keep Athersley up),” he said.
“Sometimes in football you see things that happen that shouldn’t happen like Leicester winning the Premier League.
“People will say ‘it shouldn’t happen, we shouldn’t be able to stay up with no money’.
“Just because you shouldn’t do doesn’t mean you can’t do it.
“We said on Tuesday that we know we can stay up.
“We have quality in the squad.
“Winning a couple of games and suddenly you have another 10% out of everyone.
“We know it is going to be tough.
“I like a challenge so I get more out of doing this job trying to keep a team up against all odds over managing a team who are top of the league who have all the money.
“I think you can achieve more by coming together as a group and working for each other – and that includes everyone including the volunteers.
“I wouldn’t have taken the job if I didn’t think we could stay up.
“I wouldn’t sure if I wanted the job before the two games but the players gave me the energy I asked for which gave me the energy to do the job.”
Kelsey resigned ten days ago and Whitehead who was meant to be the club’s reserve team manager this season was elevated to the caretaker position for the trip to Albion Sports and the home clash with Handsworth.
Despite defeats in both, the club were very happy with the performances hence why he was offered the job on a permanent basis and Whitehead admits he was immensely proud of his players’ efforts.
“(Before the Albion Sports game) we said the minimum thing we wanted from them was for them to work as hard as they could for us,” he said.
“I said ‘it is a clean slate and I’m not looking at the table, just show us what you have got and put some pride back in the badge’.
“At Albion I think we should have got at least a point out of the game.
“We looked organised and had a couple of good chances.
“We ended up having a bit of bad luck with the red card, the penalty and the own goal – we couldn’t had a worse start in terms of luck.
“I believe you earn your luck by working hard.
“We had another game against Handsworth on Tuesday which we knew was going to be really tough and I thought we were outstanding.
“We should have got something out of it.
“I had a bit of information that they were a team who like to play out from the back so we pressed them high and there were a few comments afterwards that we had been one of the only teams who have been able to do it to them so far this season.
“In terms of competing, running and working hard, every single player bought into it in both games.
“I said at half-time (against Handsworth) that it could be my last 45 minutes with the team and told them to give it everything and we came out and scored in the first five minutes to make it 2-1.
“The lads were literally gutted in the dressing room afterwards that they hadn’t got anything from the game.
“This is against a team who knocked Stocksbridge out of the FA Cup recently.
“At 2-0 down at half-time to Handsworth you could lose five or six nil but we didn’t.
“The players showed a reaction and we were so pleased with their attitude and desire.
“They showed me they wanted to play for me and Athersley Rec.
“(Handsworth) were hanging on at the end and their management team would agree with that and they said if we play like that we’ll turn things around.
“There have been a lots of positives in defeat.
“I honestly believe we have quality in the squad and we’ll start picking up results.
“Maybe not straightaway but I think we will turn a corner.”
Whitehead signed four players before the Albion game – Craig Laight, Tom Davies, Callum Smith and Reda Essadiki – but he doesn’t envisage wholesale changes.
“A couple of guys I knew came in last week and there’ll hopefully be a couple coming in soon,” he said.
“But I have seen enough in the past two games to say we can work with these players.
“They just need time and patience.
“What I don’t want is chopping and changing because I don’t think that is good for anybody.
“You have to have continuity and we have to give chances and work on things in training.
“I have a certain style I like to play and hopefully that will come out in the next few matches because that’s not easy to get into players.
“So in terms of a massive overhaul there won’t be one.”
If you have enjoyed reading Non League Yorkshire over the past few months, please consider making a donation to the not-for-profit organisation NLY Community Sport which provides sport for children and adults with disabilities and learning difficulties. CLICK HERE to visit the JustGiving page. There is a video at the bottom of the page showing our work.
NLY Community Sport, run by James Grayson and Connor Rollinson, has always had combatting social isolation at the top of our objectives when running our Disability Football teams.
Our work is playing an important role in reintroducing our players, who have disabilities and learning difficulties, back into society.
We have six teams, a mixture of Junior and Adult teams – Nostell MW DFC, Pontefract Pirates, Selby Disability Football Club and the South Yorkshire Superheroes (Barnsley) – across Yorkshire.
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