It’s been a tough time for Ian Herring and his Crusaders. At the foot of the National League South table, last week the club announced a budget deficit that means the players are unpaid and the launch of a funding scheme.
So, last Thursday night – two days before they played high-flying Slough – the squad gathered together before training to air their concerns with chairman Patrick Chambers.
Then they tucked into some homemade vegetable chilli made by boss Herring and some cupcakes prepared by his wife Natalie before a game of darts. “Unfortunately everything away from football is the tough part,” Herring says. “It sounds mad considering the position we find ourselves in the league. But it’s been difficult, in the sense this time last year I was probably having the same conversation.
“I had a two-year contract. I know what I’m letting myself in for as a manager. There are a lot of managers out there who complain about their budgets or look over to other people with envy. My attitude with that is, ‘Go and find another job with a bigger budget then’.
“I put my reputation on the line every year for Hungerford, knowing full well we’ve got the lowest budget in the league. That’s not a problem for me because I’ll build a team and back my ability.
“There were certain promises made. We’ve got 15 players on contracts and, yes, I was aware it’s tough financially. In the run-up to Christmas we only had one home game in seven weeks, which is tough for any side.
Denne historien er fra March 15, 2020-utgaven av The Non-League Football Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra March 15, 2020-utgaven av The Non-League Football Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
SHAKERS REVEL IN MAKING HISTORY
DAVE McNabb says Bury's FA Cup heroes are proud to be writing their own chapters in club history.
WILCOX: WE FEEL COMPLETE WITH WIN
RUSS WILCOX'S verdict after watching his Gainsborough Trinity side outmuscle and outplay their hosts was that it was \"probably our most complete performance\".
CRACKER BY KABIA TOPPLES TUDORS!
ASSISTANT boss Stewart Yetton said his Truro City side were good value for their win over table-toppers Hemel Hempstead Town.
BRAKES PUT STOP ON BORO BATTLERS
SEPARATED only by goal difference before kick-off, these sides remain neck and neck in the embryonic table after playing out 90 minutes in the October sunshine that was a great advert for the division.
BOSS COTT'S GOT A REALLY GOOD THING WITH ROVERS
STEVE Cotterill hailed Forest Green Rovers’ first class performance as they produced a spirited comeback to topple fellow high-flyers Eastleigh at the Silverlake Stadium.
SKIPS STEER HEED'S SHIP
GATESHEAD captains of the past and present are playing a lead role in helping the National League club move on from the departure of FA Trophy-winning manager Rob Elliot.
FA CUP PREVIEW: SWEET! 'DREAM' DRAW IS CHANCE OF OUR LIFETIME
DAVE NORTHFIELD says minnows Biggleswade FC were like 'kids in a sweet shop' when they drew out York City in what he describes as the 'draw of a lifetime'.
PARKER'S HEART IS STILL AT HOME
FORMER England right-back Paul Parker has revealed he would never completely rule out a return to management – but says he would only do so for one of his beloved local clubs.
LOCALS RALLY TO REBUILD BRIDGE
WHEN committee members at Bamber Bridge set out to raise £30,000 to protect the club's future, they were apprehensive about the response they'd get.
RUTHLESS BEES FIND THEIR FEET
ASTERLING second-half performance resulted in league leaders Barnet brushing aside a Boston United outfit that led at the interval through Keaton Ward’s early strike.