Local Sports Reporter Ian Nockolds talks to former Manager of Radstock Town, Brett Partner in the latest Toolstation Western League Podcast:

Ian Nockolds: “I’m delighted to welcome back to the podcast Brett Partner, the former manager of Radstock Town. You made a decision before this season began to leave your position as Manager of Radstock, and I know that was largely because of your commitments to your job at Bristol City. Just for the benefit of the listeners, can you tell us a little bit about your work there?”

Brett Partner: “I work part-time for Bristol City on a Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, with the Under-16’s. I work with a coach called Mickey Bell, he’s also the Manager of Clevedon Town. Mickey was ex-professional, with more than 600 appearances in the Football League. Under-16s is the age group where they get released or they get offered a scholarship for Under-18s and, obviously, professional. It’s a big ask for ourselves to train them up as best we can, to hopefully get them over the line. Like I say, with Radstock as well, it was just getting too much. I started last January, and I was going from Bristol, to Radstock literally three times a week, plus I had my full-time job as well. It was a lot of work, so I had to make the decision of what’s going to really progress me, and I chose Bristol City – I think it was the right decision.”

IN: “Can you tell us a little bit about the Youth set-up at Bristol City? Is there much crossover? Do the Under-16s get promoted to the Under-18s if they’re good enough?”

BP: “Yes, so there’s an Under-23, Under-18, and then the 16s. So, 16s and 18s play at the same time, and opposite pitches to each other. So, we’ve been playing sometimes similar teams, and then sometimes different teams as well.”

IN: “And is there an opportunity for you to get involved in some of the higher age group coaching?”

BP: “Before Covid, the 16s and 18s would sometimes train together as well. Then sometimes I would coach the Under-18s as well, sometimes on my own, sometimes with the coaches. That was a really good opportunity, but obviously with Covid, they have to be in their own separate bubble, and we have to be our own separate bubble. Hopefully it goes back to normal towards the end of the season and hopefully next season.”

IN: “Obviously it’s a really exciting opportunity for you to be able to work, not just with the likes of Mickey Bell, but obviously the other coaching staff at Bristol City; it’s great to be part of a professional football club.”

BP: “It is and that’s what I want to aspire to, to work in a full-time environment in football. If that’s coaching wise, academy wise, even later down the line, hopefully be a Manager one day in a Football League club. Got to have a bit of luck, but then, you know, I’m just going try my hardest to get there, and that’s my ambition. But working with some of the coaches there, you’ve got Mickey Bell, you’ve got Marvin Brown, you’ve got Brian Tinnion, you’ve got Trevor Chalice. These are all people who have made more than 500 appearances in Cup or League, and then I’m just stood there thinking, ‘I’m just the guy from Chippenham, really, Western League.’ So, yeah, I am in a way blessed, but I have worked hard to get where I have, and I’m just learning every day from those types of people. And hopefully I can keep pushing.”

IN: “You’ve mentioned Covid a couple of times already in this interview. We’re coming to terms with it in the Western League and we talk about clubhouses and wearing face masks, and whether players can go into changing rooms wearing face masks, or whether they have to go to two changing rooms. Can you give us an idea with your level of football what are the restrictions like, that you’re having to get to grips with?”

BP: “It’s really tight, just because it’s an elite environment. So, during lockdown, we’re still working. But what I’ve seen of Western League to what we’re doing, it is totally different. You know, we have to fill out a Covid questionnaire every time we go in. If one of them says yes to anything, it could be just a sniffle, they’ll say you’re not allowed in, it’s that tight. We have our temperatures checked all the time when we go in. And if one person gets it, the whole bubble goes, so it is very tight. We get escorted, as coaches, on and off. We try and stay away from the players as much as we can. Players come in their own little bubbles on and off. So yeah, it’s really tight there.”

IN: “It’s interesting to contrast the elite environment and what happens at the Western League level where players have got other day jobs, and they’ve got their own households, their children may well be at school. So they’re going to come into contact with other parts of society, whereas where you are, it does seem a lot more limited in terms of who you come into contact with.”

BP: “Bristol City is a professional club, each player is classed as an asset. So the club have got to do what they can to protect everyone; coaches, players. The Western League, because it’s not professional, they can only do so much, to an extent. With a professional club like City, they can go beyond that as well, the guidelines of the FA. But like you said, people have got day jobs, they’ve got families, they mix and this is probably why the delay is for the Western League, which is upsetting for everyone, I think.”

IN: “Your last position was with Radstock, I know you were involved with other clubs before that. Given that what we’ve just discussed about the fantastic surroundings you currently find yourself in, do you miss your time in the Western League?”

BP: “Oh, 100% Yes, it’s totally different coaching Under-16s or Under-18s, to Men’s League. It’s a lot of work, I think people don’t realize what a Manager does. I never did, when I was a player, until I took on my first role at Chippenham Park. It’s incredible, the stuff that goes on behind the scenes, and also, you’re always getting constant texts as well from players. They might have an issue and it might be five, six people at a time, and you’ve got to try and deal with that as well.

Plus, you’ve got to talk to the Chairmen, obviously, and because it’s a community club Radstock or any Western League Club, you know, you’ve got to do your bit for somewhere else.

“Yeah, I do miss it a lot. I like being hands-on with stuff, and I think with City, you’ve got your job to do and that’s it. It’s not like, get the kits sorted out, this and that - your sole focus is to develop these players, you coach them and you manage them and then you review it. And that’s it. I do like that, I don’t miss putting out all the kit and stuff like that, but I do miss game days massively.”

IN:““The events of last season, particularly at the end of it, were very frustrating for you, because you had the team going really well.

“Now you’re out of it, you’re able to look at what’s going on in lower league football, with a slightly less personal view on what would be a good outcome for your club. How do you feel about things at the moment – where we are with the Tier system?”

BP: “It’s just all complicated, isn’t it? I was talking to Mickey the other night and I’m thinking as a Tier Two club can they go to a Tier Three? I think they were supposed to have Parkway last weekend, and obviously it’s been postponed.

“I feel for every club and the fans. You know, it’s been hard, it’s all right watching Premier League football, but there’s nothing like watching non-league football, being there on the sideline with your friends and people on the pitch as well. When people can’t have that it’s hard.

“It’s going be a massive struggle, I think, up until the Tier system ends. You’re going to have a lot of postponements and my worry is, which happens every year in April-May time when you get three games a week, this is only going to make it worse. So, they have to extend the league until June, I would say that’s obviously up to the league to do. But my personal opinion, being a Manager and being a player, it’s a lot, you know?

“You’ve got the likes of Jurgen Klopp saying, ‘oh it’s quite a lot of work and time and games in one week’, and they’ve only got sometimes one or two games. Go work nine to five then play three or four games a week. Try to do that every week, for the last two weeks. So yeah, I think they’ve got to extend it.

“These circumstances we’ve never had before, so the league have just got to take that in to account as well, plus these tier systems. It’s just a bit of a nightmare, really, isn’t it?”

IN: “You’re talking there about extending the season, obviously the football man in you would want to see this season concluded on the pitch, not another null and void.”

BP: “No. Last year, we were doing so well, I think we could have been promoted, people might have other opinions. But a lot of people I know said the same. It’s absolutely heart-breaking, to be honest, and it took a while for me to get over.

“Working so hard, when I first came in, the season before, to get to where I got them. And then being told oh sorry that’s it, it’s just null and void. Everything you’ve worked for, in that season is just a waste ... it’s not a waste of time, but in a way footballing-wise, it is a waste of time because we didn’t get promoted. But we had some really good experiences though, up to then, we played Yeovil, from the Conference, they brought down three quarters of their First team, and we lost on penalties.

“We did that, we beat some really big teams. And I was just really happy with how I left Radstock. It’s just a shame that we couldn’t finish the league, and I hope it doesn’t happen again. Because I feel sorry for whoever’s top now, you know, they’ve been working so hard to get there and then it’s like, ‘oh sorry, you know, wait till next season’. It’s a long time till next season as well, and we’re only in December so I’m hoping we can finish the league.”

IN: “You want to be steady on there, Brett, because the team that’s at the top of the First Division at the moment is Welton Rovers!”

BP: “I hope they don’t win it, I’ll tell you that! No disrespect to them, but I’m a Radstock boy!”

IN: “Not withstanding not knowing who’s on top of the First Division, have you been keeping up at all with news in the Western League in terms of how the season’s going?”

BP: “I dip in and out, to be honest, I’ve been trying just to focus on other things. It’s been a busy year for me, actually, even though we had Covid. So, I got married, I’ve moved house, other things have been going on in the background as well.

“I have been asking some people how they’ve been getting on, when Nath was Manager, asking him all the time how’s he getting on? I message Ryan, who’s the Manager now, anything he needs I’ll try and pop in every now and again. But you know, being married now and stuff, I’ve got to focus on doing the house up. And I’m doing a football project, actually, which is a personal thing of mine, for Coaches and Managers. But I’m hoping to launch that in February. It’s a bit of a consulting type thing, I don’t want to go too much into it, but it’s just to help out Coaches and I’ve got a program to launch.”

IN: “Very interesting stuff, we might have to come back to you on that in a future interview, because that does sound very interesting.

“It does sound like you’ve packed an awful lot into this year. For most people, 2020 will be the year that they want to forget. But I suppose with you tying the knot, you managed to find a way ... All of us in the footballing world, particularly the Western League, many people are wondering how on earth we’re going to find a way to play football again, well, you managed to find a way to get married in a year when the Government keep on telling us we’re not allowed to do things like that – so well done!”

BP: “It was a bit of a nightmare because we were supposed to get married in May, [then] lockdown. And then we rearranged it for the end of October, then in September Boris said about the ‘fifteen’ rule.

“And I was thinking, do I do it with fifteen, which would be a bit sorry for everyone, because it’s not a lot people is it? Or do we wait until next year? And I’m thinking I’ve postponed it once, I’m not doing that, no, so on the Tuesday night me and my missus sat down and we thought ‘do you reckon we could do this Saturday?’ We looked into the church and stuff like that and, yeah, we had the wedding in three days.”

IN: “That is incredible.”

BP: “Yeah it was very stressful. We literally did it in Radstock, as well, Radstock Church. Went up to Peasedown, there’s a beautiful little coffee shop up there and they did a really good job. They transformed the whole place into a wedding venue, really. All the tables were white, and lovely cutlery, all the food.

“It was just amazing what they had done in three days and everyone had to sacrifice different things. So, we had people cleaning the church the night before. It was amazing, and we’ve got the footage back now and it’s just so nice.”

IN: “Well, that’s the sort of good news story we all need at the moment. It’s been fantastic catching up with you again, particularly to hear about your work at Bristol City, that’s really fascinating.

“You’ve put a smile back on my face and I think you’ll have put a smile back on the faces of the listeners and readers as well. So, from all of us at the Toolstation Western, congratulations on your marriage and also on managing to move house during lockdown. I don’t know how you managed that, either!

“It’s great to have you back on, Brett, and we’ll be following your career with interest.”