DAVE Birch and Mike Norton remember vividly the first training session they fronted as joint managers of a struggling team close to five years ago.
New Mills had lost six successive matches at the start of the 2019-20 campaign, shipping 25 goals, when the duo answered a distress call from Ray Coverley, the club's chairman.
"There's no script," Birch told The NLP.
"What we'd achieved during a decent career as players went out of the window, and I wasn't sure those lads even knew who we were!
"They probably thought we were deluded because I stood in front of the group and said we don't get beat again from here."
The pair, revered by supporters at Curzon Ashton and FC United of Manchester for their contributions on the field, have come a long way since.
After guiding Abbey Hey back to the North West Counties League (NWCFL) top flight last season, securing promotion in impressive fashion as play-off winners, they were offered the job at Avro.
Number one
Denne historien er fra June 23, 2024-utgaven av The Non-League Football Paper.
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Denne historien er fra June 23, 2024-utgaven av The Non-League Football Paper.
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WEATHER'S ON THE UP
MARC WEATHERSTONE reckons Welwyn Garden City's togetherness is a big part of their hot start and exactly why he thinks they've got the cahunas if and when the going gets tough.
ROW ARE RAISING A GLASS!
DIRECTOR of football Anthony Millerick has revealed the secret behind Hartley Wintney's recent upturn in form players staying behind for a beer after the game.
TOP TEAMS FIGHT TO QUICKFIRE STALEMATE
GLOUCESTER CITY and Basingstoke Town managed to keep their respective unbeaten home and away records intact, with both sides refusing to be defeated in a well-fought top-ofthe-table battle.
McKIMM MAKES A GOOD POINT
Millers manager takes the draw
WANDERERS LET OFF THE FIREWORKS IN THRILLER
FIREWORKS were on display at Cherrywood Road in a game that crackled and fizzed with plenty of bang for your buck.
EZE DOES IT WITH DAZZLING DISPLAY
BOLTON loanee Dubem Eze stole the limelight with a scintillating first-half display, culminating in a stunning strike on the cusp of half-time which effectively wrapped up the points for the Magpies in the battle of the promotion chasers.
SEAGULLS FLY HIGH IN DEFEAT
WESTON-super-Mare boss Scott Bartlett I was proud of his team's performance, pushing Bristol Rovers to within 25 minutes of penalties.
BENBOW SENDING OFF HITS THE PICS
RUSHALL OLYMPIC manager Adam Stevens pointed Re to the dismissal of striker Luke Benbow as a key moment.
HEARTBREAK AS SHRIMPER DREAM DIES AT THE DEATH
Maher's mad at dramatic collapse
TIME TO POPP THE CORKS AS NILE BECOMES A DERBY HERO
KETTERING Town ignored the 78 places gap to down local rivals Northampton Town with a stunning performance at Sixfields.
