Chris Devane is a happy man. His Berkhamsted side are sitting pretty at the top of the Pitching In Southern League Division One Central table with 17 wins from their 21 games, alongside successive PST Sport Club of the Month awards and with works ongoing to improve their Glencar Community Stadium home, there is plenty to look forward to.
“I think the group have done brilliantly,” he told us. “It’s not an easy assignment to try and re-group after a relegation and the lads have been great.
“We had a sloppy start to October where we lost three in a row, but since then we have been in tremendous form, losing only one out of our last 14 to go into the New Year full of belief.
“This is actually the toughest I have known Division One Central It’s a lot more competitive than when we were last in the division. Real Bedford are a brilliantly coached team and they set the standard in my opinion.
“In terms of my own management style, on the pitch it’s front-footed, attacking football. Sometimes it is our downfall but we go after everyone we play, with press and high energy. Off the pitch I like to create an environment where, first and foremost, people enjoy being there and things are done professionally in terms in terms of preparation and training.
“If you have a group of players who want to play for you and the club, it’s a formula that usually works.
“Of course, being in the position we are it is hard not to look forward, but we have been in this position before and know there are going to be plenty of ups and downs for us to deal with in the weeks and months ahead, so it’s one game at a time.
“Since we first reported back for pre-season training during the summer, the aim has been to finish in the top five and earn promotion through the play-offs. That hasn’t changed; we’ve put ourselves into a fantastic position but there is a lot of hard work to be done to get to where we want to be.”
Two big games lie ahead for the club. On Saturday they host Hadley before heading to Real Bedford, who currently sit four points behind them with a game in hand, on the following Tuesday.
IMAGE: @JC98photography
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