Widdrington’s intent there for all to see at Eastbourne Borough – as he takes leaf out of Novak Djokovic’s book
“This club is not run simply to survive at this level. This club is set up to get out of this division and up to the next level. And that has to be our objective.” Even in defeat, Tommy Widdrington’s declaration of intent was ringing around Priory Lane last weekend.
Borough’s returning manager – previously in charge at the Lane for five years from 2012 – had watched his team surrender a half-time lead, and then lose to a last-minute penalty to Chesham United. It left the Sports second bottom in National South, but for Tommy, success will be more than just a salvage operation.
“The objective now is to get ourselves into a winning habit, and to see where that takes us by Christmas or by January. Nobody puts up any title winners’ banners at this stage of the season. We don’t lose sight of the fact that we are not a million miles away from the top of the table.
“Did we deserve to lose to Chesham? Yes, absolutely we did! Our players have done this more than once this season – they’ve gone ahead, but they haven’t managed to hang on to a lead and finish a game off. It was disappointing, after what we achieved at Maidenhead (a 1-0 away win).
“There was a collective huffing and puffing in the second half, and we allowed Chesham to impose themselves on us.”
How do you transform this squad of players into a winning team? “If this set of players aren’t capable – and I’ve told them I will give them time, but only a bit of time – but I can’t have that kind of reaction (to conceding a lead).
“We should have been out of sight in the first half. But to flip the coin in the second half, and lose the initiative, that concerns me. I’m never going to blame the guys who were here before me, or say they weren’t fit enough. But they were coached to play a certain style, and now I’m coaching them to play a different style.
“They may not be ready yet to play my type of football, because I’m not sure they have the physical capability.”
Widdrington was unimpressed with the visitors’ two penalty awards. “If there are seven or eight corners in a game, there should be four penalties. Every single corner that I watch, there is so much pushing and pulling, and there’s a foul in there somewhere!
“But the collective reaction to disappointment here, any sort of disappointment, is oh, woe is me, woe is me! Instead of getting that out of their heads as quickly as you can!
“The world’s greatest ever tennis player only won 54% of the points he ever played – but he won 82% of the games! That’s because he was the master of putting aside disappointment! One point lost, you put it aside, and you still have to win four to take the game. We don’t have that mentality here yet. I want that mentality.
“I want that collective intention throughout the football club, that we shall not be moved! I don’t think we have enough of that fibre in the building at this minute – but I’d like to think I can change that!”
No excuses, then, from Widdrington, but no flinching either. The Gaffer hasn’t changed – and now he must change Borough’s fortunes.
Oh, and that tennis player? It was a certain Novak Djokovic...