Over the last few weeks we have caught up with several managers going either into their season at the helm of the club or just starting out, and in NWCFL First Division South side Stockport Town's Bobby Lofthouse we have both.
Last season he was a player-assistant manager but this season he has taken the joint managers roles alongside Jake Davies, "I’ll still probably play in parts when I can, but this is my first proper managerial role."
Finishing tenth for the last three seasons, the club has found consistency but Lofthouse was disappointed in their slow start, "We were a bit disappointed last year with how we started off. We started off really slowly but we got into it and got better. We went through a period where we played really well and I feel if we’d have started out how we ended, we probably would have been a lot higher.
"We’ve put into the plan this year where we want to finish. We’ve got a set target of where we want to end up. We’ve spoken to the lads and let them know that so hopefully this year we can push on and move up the table."
Meet the New First Team Assistant Manager: Bobby Lofthouse #Football #Stockport @bobby_lofthouse
— Stockport Town FC 🦁 (@StockportTownFC) July 21, 2018
https://t.co/A8grrWVhEW
Stockport is gearing up for a successful campaign and is eyeing up one of the four promotion spots, "One hundred percent. Our target’s always just trying to keep bettering ourselves. As Assistant Managers, Jake and I have set targets for ourselves. We’ve got to keep trying and we’ve got to keep working hard to move forward but that would be brilliant if we could get into one of those four positions. We’d be over the moon if we could get into one of them."
Additionally, qualification for the Emirates FA Cup would be a superb achievement for the club, "It would be brilliant – and for the money side of it as well. For the club, the money that we’d get in is important to us to survive and to keep up with the teams who have got a budget in the League so it would be a very big achievement."
In the Buildbase FA Vase, they have an away trip to former NCEL Division One side Harworth Colliery and Lofthouse is anticipating a tough day out, "Yes, that’s really nice. Haworth is a very good side. They’ve done really well and it will be a good test for me as a Manager to pick a team with Jake. It’s a good opportunity and an experience for the lads and you never know. If they do well, who knows what could happen."
The transisition between player and manager has not been straight forward, "Last year I took a little bit of a step back. With being Assistant Manager last year I felt it was important for me. If we got beaten, for example, I didn’t feel like I could have started hammering the lads because I was a part of that. This year has been different because I’ve not played in as many games so being able to watch and see things, standing aside with Jake, it’s been really different. With me playing again, Jake’s going to be there outside the pitch and I’ll be helping on the pitch as much as I can, with my experience.
Former Stockport County players Kristian Dennis (left) and Bobby Lofthouse (right) at the launch of County's new kit along with Oliver Robinson (centre)
"It’s not been easy. Last year I found that to adapt to it was difficult, I’ll be honest. I feel like I know what I’ve got to do this year. I know how to manage it this year a lot better and I feel like that will help me."
Standing on the sidelines watching his players, Lofthouse sometimes gets frustrated that he may have done something different, "That’s an excellent example of watching things and seeing the lads! We tell them to do this and do that and sometimes you feel like they’re not listening, you want to be on there. It’s one of them! It’s difficult.
"I said to the lads after the last preseason game on Saturday weekend, there’s competition for places for the game this week coming. Wythenshawe’s a great game to start off with. It’s local so the lads will be bouncing and buzzing for how big it is as a game. They’ve brought some great players in. I’ve played with in the past so it’s important for the lads to crack on.
"There’s not going to be an easy game. Everyone’s going to beat everyone. I don’t think there’ll be an out and out winner early on this year. I think it will be very close throughout the season and it will be very tight this year."
