One of the dramatic stories from the final weekend of the regular season came in the Pitching In Southern League Premier South where Swindon Supermarine hauled themselves out of the relegation zone courtesy of a commanding 3-0 victory over Winchester City.
Setting them on their way with the opening goal nine minutes before the break was Ryan Campbell.
“It was a massive relief to get the job done on Saturday,” a relieved Campbell told us. “Every single one of us were at it from the first whistle.
“There were a few nerves in the first ten minutes or so, which is understandable, but as soon we scored the first goal all the nerves around the team settled and we were really able to show our quality to go on and win the game comfortably.
“There was just a special feeling and buzz around the place where everyone believed that we were going to be safe.
“That said, there’s no getting away from the fact that we under-performed this season. But from the position we were in at the start of the season, not winning a single game until November, it’s been a hell of an escape!
“Fleets [Head Coach, Stuart Fleetwood] and Gilly [Assistant Head Coach, Dan Gillespie] came in with a new identity and some new players and they got us playing some really great football at times.
“That doesn’t always win you games, of course, and it would have been easy for them both to change the way we play when you have a bit of a blip, but fair play to them, they believed in us throughout and in return, we believed in them and thankfully it was enough to keep us up in the end.
“As for the season on a personal level, I feel like I’ve had a fairly consistent campaign. I managed to get 45 games under my belt and score seven goals from full-back, so I’ll take that all day long. The most important thing for me, though, was to keep this great club in the League.
“I’ve played at this level now for about eight years with two different teams and I’d definitely say this is the most competitive it’s been. There are really no bad teams in this League and anyone could be beaten on an off-day. The fact that a team has been relegated on 48 points is crazy!
“I need to sit down now and have a chat with the club in regards to next season. I’d really like to have a serious go at getting a play-off spot next season; if the club keeps together it’s main core of players and add to a few areas, then there is no reason why we can’t be in and around it.”
IMAGE: @robmashfordpho1
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