It’s a case of unfinished business at Rayners Lane following their sideways move into the Pitching In Southern League Division One Central for the campaign ahead.
Former manager, Scott Patmore, has returned to the helm of the club, who are based in the London Borough of Harrow, following his controversial exit in 2023.
“My first season in charge of the club [2022/23] ended with promotion into Step 5 and winning the Middlesex Premier Cup for the first time,” he recalled. “It was a fantastic feeling and then all of a sudden during the summer as preparations for life at the higher level were in full swing, I was sacked when new investors were brought in.
“There followed what I can only describe as a social media meltdown and the whole saga left an extremely unpleasant taste in the mouth.
“It was only in January of this year that I felt the time was right for me to get back into management.
“I took the job at Edgware Kingsbury FC who were sat ten points adrift at the bottom of the Combined Counties League Premier Division North with just four wins to their name all season.
“During eight games in charge we won five - which included a run of five wins from the final six matches - and drew one to defy the odds and get out of the relegation zone for the first time all season.
“I’m grateful to Edgware for giving me the opportunity to get back in and it certainly helped to get my appetite for management back alongside some good people.
“Now I feel that I have come full circle having been asked to come back ‘home’ to Rayners Lane.
“It’s certainly a challenge that I am looking forward to and, of course, there is a lot of unfinished business here for me.
“This is a League that I know well; I’ve lived in Watford all of my life and as Secretary of the Hertfordshire Senior County League, I have watched a lot of players progress from that into Division One Central at various clubs.
“The investors and the subsequent players that came in with them are now gone and we have to rebuild and prepare for what will be a very tough test, but it’s a challenge that I face head-on with plenty of determination and fire in my belly.
“From a standing start, we’ve had around 40 players at each training session so far and it’s a case of whittling them down to those who we feel can make an impact at this level and also finding those little gems who can step up and shine.
“We’re going into a well-run League with a good mixture of teams. There’s plenty of quality and as has been the case in recent seasons, it’s extremely competitive.
“In terms of our budget and where we’re at as a club with all of the on and off the field changes, we’re being realistic. Survival is imperative for our first year and being able to establish the club in this League.
“My philosophy is all based around mind set. I am a strong man-manager who is able to get my players to over-perform. It’s worked well for me in my last two appointments and I’ll be doing all I can to ensure that it happens again over the course of the season ahead.”
IMAGE: Rayners Lane FC
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