The Gaffer’s Cup Final Team Talk

by Micky Nathan

Leverstock Green v Harpenden Town
St Mary’s Cup final
at Hemel Hempstead Town on Friday, May 17

On Friday evening, we’ll make the short journey over to Hemel Hempstead Town’s ground to meet Leverstock Green in the final of the St Mary’s Cup hoping to end a wonderful season on a high.

Of course, our game against Leverstock Green in the play-off semi-final is still very fresh in the memory but this represents a chance to put that game to bed before we go into the summer.

Congratulations to Leverstock Green for winning promotion to Step 4. I always felt that the winner of our semi-final would go on to win the final, no matter who it was against, and while I am very disappointed that it wasn’t us, I wish Leverstock Green the very best of luck next season.

The result wasn’t what we hoped for, but the occasion made me immensely proud to be manager of this football club. I arrived at the ground a good couple of hours before kick-off and people were queuing up outside waiting for the gates to open. To see almost a thousand people in Rothy Park was incredible. It was the result of a lot of work on and off the pitch over a long period of time and it proved what we have thought for a while – that this club has so much potential.

A week can be a long time in football, and on Bank Holiday Monday Steve O’Reilly rang me to say that he had been offered the opportunity to go to Dunstable Town as manager. While I was very disappointed to lose him and my coach Swanny, I know Steve has wanted to be a number one for a while and it was a chance he simply couldn’t turn down. We will miss them, of course, and I wish them all the best. Well, perhaps I mean for 36 of the 38 games next season!

They have contributed so much to this club and I’ve enjoyed every minute working with them but football is a game where you have to embrace change and we now have an opportunity to work with some new people and discuss new ideas while retaining so much of what has made this season a successful one.

The job of replacing them started pretty much straight away. The CVs have been coming in and we’ve been having conversations about who can join us to help continue the momentum we’ve built this season.

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There’s no doubt about it, next season I want to be top dog. There are no guarantees of anything just because we finished third this season and it’s far too early to say how the division will look and who the strong sides will be, but I am focused on making sure we are as strong as we can possibly be from the start of the season.

The first league game is even earlier than usual – on Saturday, July 27 – and pre-season fixtures will start in late June, believe it or not, so there’s not much time off, especially with the St Mary’s Cup final coming so late in May. Ideally this game would have come a week or so ago but Leverstock Green have had an unbelievable end to the season, winning the play-offs and adding the Gladwish Challenge Trophy by beating London Lions at our ground on Saturday, and now they are going for the treble.

But the game is special for us too. We have a chance to do something this club hasn’t done too often – which is to win some silverware. It’s six years since the first team last lifted a trophy so the players are well aware of the opportunity ahead of them on Friday.

Last week there was some doubt about where the game would be played but I am delighted it’s back on at Hemel because being at a neutral venue so close to both clubs – admittedly a little closer to Leverstock Green than to Harpenden – means there’s not far for supporters to travel and it gives the game much more of a cup final feel.

So I hope to see loads of Harpenden supporters there on Friday night and hopefully we can sign off in style.