Radstock Town Manager, Shane Smith, talked to former Somer Valley FM sports presenter, Ian Nockolds on last week’s Toolstation Western League Podcast, reflecting on a preseason that saw his first team squad decimated by big money moves for key players. The Miners lost multiple players to Bradford Town and Westbury United, with money identified as the motivating factor.
Shane started to fear that his side would become victims of their own success at the end of last season, “Often managers from other Western League and Southern League Clubs would come to watch, and I did feel that if we weren’t promoted we could lose players and that’s what did happen.
“Unfortunately, our players were offered quite a great deal more money than Radstock would be able to offer them and it turned their heads.”
During the interview, Ian reflected on his time covering the Miners, specifically the strides forward the team have made under the management of Shane Smith. This season could have been very different, yet Shane is far from admitting defeat so early into the new campaign. “If we could have kept the majority of those players, we would have had a very strong push for promotion. I’d never put out a team that isn’t capable of promotion, and I think, in time, the players will learn to play at this level.”
Recruitment has been the order of the day for Radstock, with very little time to do it in, yet the Club have made some exciting acquisitions, a blend of youth and experience with an emphasis on giving local talent a chance.
“Sam Gregory is well known in local football, he’s a fan’s favourite,” Shane explained. “Jack Metcalf has returned to the club and Kyle Norris we’ve just signed from Odd Down has outstanding ability. We’ve also brought in Ryan Pike, from Shepton Mallet, he’s going to be a massive asset with the experience he has.”
Looking forward, Shane is adamant the Club is in a better position than it was at the start of the season, a fact born out with recent results, the Miners beating Wincanton away at the weekend in the FA Vase, the team that inflicted an opening day defeat on them at Southfields. Shane said: “We felt August would be our pre-season with the players we managed to bring in – if we managed to pick up points in August it would be a bonus.”
Indeed, things are looking better off the pitch for Radstock, as the long running saga over the Club’s lease has finally been resolved, paving the way for improvements to the Club’s facilities, supported by an exciting partnership with brewery giant, Greene King.
Shane Smith’s full interview can be heard on episode five of the Toolstation Western League podcast, by visiting: http://toolstation league.com/ or searching for Western Football League on itunes.