Jude Macdonald on positivity, energy, belief – three things that turned Eastbourne Town’s lurching season on its head

On Town’s lurching season:

“If you draw a graph of this season, it’s not exactly been a smooth ride! We had a promising start in August-September with only one defeat in ten. Then the autumn was going wrong, and we were losing every second game.

“And losing becomes an unwelcome habit! Players lose confidence, and coaches are grasping for an answer. We limped into the New Year, and then It came to a critical point – I can pin-point the exact day! Here at the Saffrons, January 6th, and a 2-1 home defeat to Loxwood.

“Team morale was rock-bottom – and remember we have a quite young squad. I literally sat down with my coaching staff – Ben Davis, Matt Elphick – and we shut the door on the world and we totally refreshed our approach. We needed to get playing on the front foot, play higher up the pitch, take the game to opponents.

“And from that day on, we have completely turned it around. Seventeen wins, two draws, no defeats! Positivity, energy, belief. And in this run we’ve taken our goal difference from +6 to +41 ! I knew the players had it in them, but we needed to unshackle their ability.

“A couple of players left, which was fair enough, but the squad as a whole have made a massive step up. As management, we made it as easy as possible for the players, to express themselves and enjoy themselves. To understand that it was about us and not about the opposition.

“We pay huge respect to Steyning Town, who have always looked like title winners and they set the gold standard. But it’s not quite a fair comparison – we knew we could not compete with their playing budget, or with their set-up and facilities.”

On the Play-Offs Drama:

“First, in the semi-final we knew Hassocks would be no push-over. They have had their best season for ages – and a smashing club, by the way – and they really went toe-to-toe with us. We had a two-goal cushion by half-time, but Hassocks never stopped battling. Then we had to gather ourselves and focus all over again for the Final.

“At about twenty to five on Sunday (at 0-0) I was starting to wonder if we’d blown it. Newhaven are an excellent side, and very resilient. We’d had long spells on top, and a string of chances. But over the past two seasons we have actually scored 35 goals in the final ten minutes of matches!”

So – two late goals – and a massive sense of relief? “Relief, and maybe a dash of disbelief! But it was a just reward for the players and for so many at the club. To get a thousand people to the Saffrons, to ride that wave, to keep our nerve, to dig out that last ounce of stamina – it’s also proof of the power of the play-off system, the ultimate climax to a season!

“In fairness, our crowds have been very good throughout the season. I hope and believe that they like what they’ve seen, they enjoy the way we play. Then the play-off attendances were something else! I know the Saffrons is a focal point for the town, and it was great to see the neutrals and the other clubs’ supporters too!”

On management, life, and everything else:

“I was pitched into Whitehawk – a very different club in a number of respects – at a tricky point of time. They were coming off several seasons at a higher level, and I did the best job I could. There needed to be life after Whitehawk, but I needed to re-calibrate, re-jig my targets, go somewhere where I could earn my stripes.

“I’ve reached one big objective – getting a club back into the Isthmian League. But I’m happy in myself. Some people have the wrong sort of ambition – tread on others on the way up. That will never work for me.”

Style of play? “I hate watching boring, stale matches. In a decent game of football, you never quite know what to expect next!”

And a pathway in football management? Thanks all the same, but Macdonald has a successful career, leading the PE and Sport Department at Varndean College in Brighton. He’s a family man, too – when the Herald rang him, he had to call back as he was just putting toddler daughter to bed!

On the next chapter of the story: “I don’t own the future. Isthmian League will be a different challenge. I have had a season and a half in the Isthmian – Premier and South-East Divisions – with Whitehawk, so I’m under no illusions. There is a core of strong, established outfits, including some of the Kent clubs with bigger budgets and great infra-structure. We will look to hold our own and not get above ourselves.

“But this is a reward for the whole club. The senior people at Town, including (chairman) Dave Shearing and Dave Jenkins, the volunteers, the coaches throughout our youth teams. This club is on a journey. We’ll celebrate for a little while and then we will get back on the road!”