It takes a special kind of resolve to be able to put together a competitive team on little or no budget.
That’s what has happened at Westbury United during a campaign in the Pitching In Southern League Division One South that has brought its fair share of challenges both on and off the pitch, yet going into the final month of the season, they sit tucked just inside the top ten.
To then see the players embark upon a 370-mile round trip to Falmouth Town for a Tuesday evening fixture and put in a display full of grit, determination and commitment to bring home a point from a goalless draw, shows exactly what a special group co-managers, Ricky Hulbert and Lewis Porter, have at their disposal.
Popular defender, Dan Restorick, is one such hero. He was up in the early hours of the morning on the day of the game to start work so that he could finish in time to make the minibus down to Cornwall.
“I worked 6am until 2pm on Tuesday so that I could leave work in time to make the journey,” he told us. “It’s a long old day; after playing a tough 90 minutes we then had the trip home and didn’t get back until the early hours of the morning.
“I think it makes you work even harder on the pitch to make sure that you get something from the game and our performance on the night certainly warranted at least a point.
“It’s all part of non-League football. If you want to play at this level, you have to deal with long away trips on a Tuesday night from time to time, it’s a case of working your job and personal life around it.
“It’s been a strange season for one reason or another. There have been things happen that are out of our control but the fact that 90% of the players opted to stick together and continue playing here for free speaks volumes for the spirit we have amongst the group.
“The job that the Gaffers have done is nothing short of incredible. To get us to where we are with no budget takes something really special.
“We had a tricky start to the season but then managed to put a decent run together. There was a little blip following our move to play home games at Frome Town, but since being back at Westbury, we’ve gone on to pick up some decent results recently.
“Personally, I am having one of my best-ever seasons. My confidence is high and I’ve also chipped in with a few goals as well, which is always nice.
“Having players around you that you can trust is such a massive thing and the issues that the club has had has only brought us even closer together and strengthened the bond.
“As a team we know that we’re not going to pass opponents off the pitch, but what we are is big, strong and hard to break down.
“It’s been very much an up and down division this year. Some of the teams that were down towards the bottom last season have been up there challenging this time around, including ourselves.
“It’s a very competitive League and there’s always something to play for; if you can get on a run of four or five wins it can make such a big difference.
“We’ve already beaten the record number of points that Westbury United have ever achieved at this level, so between now and the season we want to be able to add to that and finish as high up the table as we possibly can.
“A few more goals for myself would be nice too!”
It’s a return to home action on Saturday with the visit of Tavistock AFC before they play host to promotion-chasing Evesham United the following weekend. A trip to play-off hopefuls, Malvern Town and a home encounter with Melksham Town then follows over Easter before they end the season at Bideford AFC.
IMAGE: Westbury United FC
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