IN: I’m delighted to welcome back to the Toolstation Western League Podcast, Tom Smith, the manager of Welton Rovers. Tom thank you very much for taking the time to speak to us. An emphatic win at the weekend, was the victory as emphatic as the score line suggests?

TS: It was really, I think. No disrespect to Almondsbury. I think they’re a very good team, they’ve got some very good players. We’d been threatening to click since the start of pre-season, we had an up-and-down pre-season, the results didn’t go our way but we had a lot of promise. We knew if we kept working at it that eventually it was going to click. It seemed to click against Almondsbury on Saturday, better than it has in any of the previous games. It was a different kind of game, we had an early lead, two goals up within thirteen minutes obviously helped settle the nerves. The boys did really well, they clicked, they played well together and we were emphatic in front of goal so, yeah, I genuinely think it was a fair reflection of the game.

IN: Am I right in thinking Almondsbury were down to eight men by the end of the game? Was it a case of them playing poorly or you playing well?

TS: I think we played very well, and as I touched on just now, the two goals in the first thirteen minutes put the ball in our court. We knew if we carried on playing the way that we were, and in the way that we knew that we could, we knew we’d come away with the points, as long as we didn’t drop off. They did go down to eight men, I don’t think I’m being over the top by saying we were comfortable by the time they lost any men. A lad went into the sin bin for them just before half-time, spent ten minutes in the sin bin, and I actually think that was their best ten minutes. We had to weather a bit of a storm, which is often the case. To be honest with you, I don’t think the eight men had no reflection on the result at all, I think we just played exceptionally well, and I think if you were to ask the Almondsbury manager he would probably say that they were well below par for their standard, for the quality they’ve got in the squad.

IN: Well you’ve started this season incredibly well, five wins and a draw. Did you believe that you would start this season that well?

TS: It’s hard to say. Obviously, you would snap anyone’s hand off if they offered that to you at the start. We knew we had the potential to, and I’m sure as you’re well aware, speaking to managers across the league, there’s probably fifteen teams that have got the potential to put runs like this together. We’ve definitely got the players, we’ve definitely got the quality to do it, it was just about how the boys applied themselves, how we applied ourselves, how we get over the new restrictions to make sure we give ourselves a head-start. We’ve had a really good start to the season, the best start to the season we could have hoped for, and we’ve got to make sure now that we use that to push on rather than use that to relax. If we can keep going as we are with the mentality and the quality, keeping the squad happy, then there is no reason it can’t continue in my opinion.

IN: When we last spoke you talked about baby steps when it came to developing Welton Rovers. Is that still your approach, because this baby seems to be taking pretty big steps.

TS: Yeah, when I spoke to you last time Ian it was about stabilising the club. We had had a couple of disappointing seasons, disappointing league finishes, and it was about creating something that we could build from. As you just said the results have shown bigger steps than maybe we were anticipating first of all, but I think if you put the right things into place and you believe in what you are doing, and the players back you and you’ve got the quality as I keep saying, I think naturally in this league you can push on, put a good run together and find yourself at the higher end of the table rather than struggling at the bottom.

IN: What about your pre-season? How has the Covid situation impacted that?

TS: It affected us at the start. Our first pre-season friendly was away at Street which was obviously a tough place to go under any circumstances and it was a real eye opener for myself and for Will, my assistant. We maybe didn’t expect what happened, we knew we had no changing room with half the team getting ready in the stands and half the team getting changed behind the goal. You’re still trying to keep people separate whilst you’re doing the team talk, and I won’t be shy to say we were maybe a little bit under-prepared. That helped us, we got that out of the way early doors, and in regards to on the pitch as well. We didn’t pick up a win in pre-season, which is always worrying going into the season, but we had masses of glimmers of really good quality. We could see what the players had individually. It was just about getting them to click, and I think the whole Covid situation is the same for every team but it’s really brought us together. Players are looking to go above and beyond to make sure that they’re prepared, to make sure we’re prepared. Everyone’s focus is on the game not on the regulations, not on the heat tests at the start, not the warm-up, not the half-time team talks under a gazebo in the rain. They’re very focussed on the job in hand and I think that reflects in the results where we are at the minute.

IN: Now I know you started rebuilding the squad at the end of last season, have you been working in the close season to bring in any more new faces?

TS: Yeah, massively. As I’m sure you’re aware, we’re a very ‘new look’ team this year, we have kept a core of Welton lads that have been showing promise and some that are established over the last few years, but we have grown. We’ve built the squad massively and we’ve brought in a lot of established players from around the Western League. Now, as I said to you before about the baby steps, now is about getting everyone to click and making sure everyone gets on the same page. As it is at the minute I can’t speak highly enough of the lads, they are doing a fantastic job.

IN: So what is your ambition for this season? How far do you think this Welton side can go?

TS: There’s fifteen or sixteen teams in this league that are maybe one or two players away at the start of the season that might have bolstered and improved their squad that can finish right up there. We’ve definitely got the quality to be competing, whether we do or not only time will tell. It’s a bit uncharted territory for us for a few years with us being in the bottom half, so we’ve definitely got the quality and the mentality. Personally, I want to be pushing for the top six, as most managers in this league will, and we have to take it game by game to see where we end up.

IN: I think you’re right, I think it’s going to be a very competitive first division this season. Are there teams out there that you’ve got your eye on, that you think are going to do well this season?

TS: Of course, a big part of being a Western League manager, and part of the fun of it as well as the responsibility, is looking at other teams and looking at how well they’ll do. Obviously the stand-out as everyone mentions is Corsham, I think they have, on paper, brought together an unbelievable side. Calne started the season exceptionally well and have been a top five team in this division for the last few years really. They’re the teams that stand out, and they’re the teams that we want to be in and around, we want to make sure we are competing with these teams. Warminster are always in there, yeah, they’re the teams that stand out for me and that I would imagine will be in the top five, but you know as well as me that in the Western League that could be totally wrong. We could have five totally different teams in there.

IN: You’ve got Longwell Green in the week, and then you entertain Elburton Villa in the Vase at West Clewes on Saturday. I can’t think of too many bigger games for Welton Rovers, certainly in recent seasons.

TS: Definitely not, I think there is a bit of pressure on the boys, and on us, quite rightly. The club has underachieved for the past few years, I think this is the first time we have progressed past that stage since 2015. There’s a lot of excitement around the squad and there’s a good feeling that we can go on and achieve something. Whether we can get to the heights of what Bitten have achieved, that’s a different story, but we’ve definitely got the quality to give anyone in our step of football a really good game. I’ve got no doubt that Elburton Villa, who are coming to us on Saturday, are going to be in for a really tough game. We will be in for a tough game as well but there is no reason we can’t stamp our authority at home and push on to the next round if we play to our potential.

IN: That’s a really exciting game, that one, for the fans. Obviously your season was delayed by the Coronavirus, but you’ve not let that affect you on the field. I think that’s pretty clear from this interview. Having said that, I think we can’t really conclude the interview without mentioning your fantastic volunteers at Welton Rovers because they have really got to grips with the guidance off the field as well haven’t they?

TS: Oh, it’s been absolutely exceptional. A massive part of the players coming in and playing well is the players feeling safe. It’s such strange times, and there’s not really an end in sight at the minute. We had players, and I was speaking to other managers I know and they have had players that have had concerns. The fact that Gareth, and Dave, and all volunteers at Welton have put in such a hard shift to make sure that the right precautions are in place, we’re following all of the guidelines. By them doing all the hard work off the pitch it allows our players to come in feeling safe, and focus on the game. As I mentioned to you earlier before we started recording about Shaver and the work he’s doing on the pitch, the pitch looks fantastic, the changing rooms are being decorated. With all the guidelines in place it’s just a really nice place to be at the minute and that all goes to the board and the volunteers at Welton, they’ve been fantastic since I’ve taken over.

IN: Excellent note to finish on there Tom, thanks ever such a lot for your time, and I hope that the good fortune at Welton Rovers, both on and off the pitch, can continue for the foreseeable future.

TS: I appreciate that Ian, thank you very much.