Ian Nockolds: “I’m delighted to welcome Jared Greenhalgh, the Manager of Welton Rovers to the Toolstation Western League podcast for the first time. Thank you, Jared, very much for taking the time to speak to us.
“So, 0–0 at the weekend against Almondsbury; was that as frustrating as the score line suggests?”
Jared Greenhalgh: “Yeah, it was bit frustrating. First half was a bit scrappy, and then in the second half we created more chances, we just couldn’t quite finish; we couldn’t get one goal and I think if we had got one, we could have won the game. Almondsbury offered not a lot to be honest, going forward. But they were quite well organised. We were lacking just a little bit of creativity up front and so it was a bit disap- pointing really – I wanted to get a second back-to-back win.”
IN: “No goals to speak of, but that does mean you had a clean sheet and you haven’t had one of those for a while; so that must have been a positive for you?”
JG: “Yeah, we’ve worked quite hard on being a bit more solid. I think we were a bit too open at the beginning of the season. We’ve worked on that, and if you look at the results going back from Longwell Green, where we had a bit of a nightmare, I think we’ve con- ceded one goal now in each of the games really up until, well, apart from the Longwell Green game, really. So, we’re getting solid at the back, but we’ve just got to put our chances away a little better and then that will start pushing us, turning ones into threes, really.”
IN: “Obviously, you mention that game against Longwell Green. Since then, you’ve had a win over Devizes and a good draw away to Wells, who were going great guns earlier this season. Do you feel that your season has been a little bit stop/start so far?”
JG: “I think we had the start of the season; we didn’t have a great start, although we won the first game. We’re trying to change quite a few bits, well, quite a lot, quite quickly within the club and within the team. If you look at it now, it’s quite a young team. They needed to find their feet and they needed to gel together, which I think they’re doing now, and I think you’re seeing that in the per- formances. Maybe not so much in the results at the minute,
we’re still a bit up and down. Some frustrating ones.
“I think whoever watched the Wells game, it’s cracking, it’s a good game actually to be fair. The same as when we went down to Cheddar. We drew down at Cheddar and it’s a good game. Devizes; we should have put them together second half and we didn’t, and we almost conceded right at the end. Again, Almondsbury, we were never really in trou- ble, we just didn’t put our chances away. Longwell Green was a stand-alone game, we threw that game away. We did- n’t really lose it; we gave it to them.”
IN: “You’re fourteenth in the league at the moment, but where would you like to see this side finish at the end of the season?”
JG: “That’s an interesting question. I’ve not really put any position on it. I think the team is capable of finishing in the top six. If we’re a top eight finish, we can build on that for next season. If we put our- selves a little bit behind the eight ball, in the first six or seven games where we lost to teams that are below us cur- rently, then if we had won those three games then we would have been nearer the top of the league. I think the league is quite interesting this year – it’s quite closed up.
“I think two or three wins can make a difference – fifth place are six or seven points ahead of us at the minute. I think the league is really squashed up, and it’s going to be really interesting to see who comes out on top this year. But I think in answer to your ques- tion, if we finish in the top six, I would be very pleased with that. It would be a good season, a good start.”
IN: “We’ve talked so far about your games against Longwell Green and Wells. You’ve mentioned Cheddar, and I know you’ve given Calne, who were league leaders until Longwell Green overtook them; you’ve given them a good game as well. So, which teams have you been up against so far that have impressed you the most?”
JG: “I think certainly Long- well Green have got the expe- rience in there and they’re well organised. Wells going forward were really good. They’ve got some players that have obvi- ously played higher. So, I think those two probably stand out.
“I think Calne are well or- ganised and they’ve got a goal scorer, so I think again they will be there or thereabouts.
“Radstock, if they can keep their strikers fit and keep them firing, which they seem to be at the moment. I know Sam Gregory is out, but I think that the two lads they’ve got up front are decent as well. So, I think it’s going to be interest- ing.
“I can’t really place who’s going to win it this year. You know what it’s been like the last few years; there’s pretty much been one or two out- standing teams all the way through, but this year, it’s been pretty close. But I would expect probably Longwell Green and Wells, in my opinion, to be there or thereabouts.”
IN: “Now, we have to talk about your Cup form this sea- son, because it’s been incredi- bly impressive. You’ve had wins against Larkhall and Brislington, and you ran Cribbs close. Do you think these results have shown the fans what your Welton side are capable of?”
JG: “I think we seem to play better, certainly against teams that are deemed to be in a higher position than us. I think we do quite well there. I think our system suits that. I think the players suit that as well. Like you said, our front four are quite young, so I think that they get a little bit more time when they play against the better side, so the organisation is slightly different in the teams that we play.
“When we play Larkhall and Brislington, the organisation is slightly different, so it gives them a little bit more space to be more creative and that’s what they like, and I think that really helps us.
“We went toe-to-toe with both Larkhall and Brislington and I don’t think there was much between the sides. I think we rode our luck a little bit at Larkhall, and they’re a very good side, but I think at Brislington, it was a very close game to be honest.
“I think there’s a lot more to come from the team. I hope people watching realise what we are trying to do is bring the age down and bring it back to local players to give those young lads a chance really, so they can show what they can do. I think if we do that, we’ll become stronger in the second half of the season – next sea-
son they’ll be very strong.”
IN: “You’ve got Lebeq up next, followed by Hengrove. What’s interesting about those two fixtures, is that that’s two teams that are around you, so when you’re fighting with sides that are in the same position as you in the table, looking for points, does that make those games harder?”
JG: “No, we just take each game as it comes. I think each one has got their merits. I think the difficulty we’ve had is probably the teams that are slightly below us, where there’s a little bit less structure to the games. I think if you know Lebeq, they’ve got a really strong forward line, but they’re open to counter attacks, so you know what you’re getting. Hen- grove, I haven’t even seen this season. It’s a shame really, I wanted to go over. Is Jamie Hillman still the Manager?”
IN: “Yes, Jamie Hillman.”
JG: “Yes, so again, they’ll be well organised, and I think they’ve had a rough ride with players and stuff, but they’ll be well organised as well. I don’t think there’s many, when we played Devizes, I didn’t think they were awful and they’re down near the bottom. Even Telephones had some bright parts about them.
“You’ll know that some of the results are just bizarre, and the third place team, I think it’s Wincanton, got six put past them, and you think – “where did that come from?” So, everyone can really do something against each other.
“I think every game is pretty tough; you have just got to try to work out a way to get past that particular team. In an- swer to your question, really, I don’t mind if we’re playing well against Longwell Green or we’re playing Telephones, we approach it in the same way.”
IN: “Now, we can’t have a conversation without talking about the Boxing Day fixture with that mob up the road!
“The Coalfield Classico, of course, and it’s one I’ve talked about before at length on the podcast, because I know how important it is in the commu- nities of Midsomer Norton and Radstock – you see that on the gates. It really is a huge game, isn’t it Jared?”
JG: “It’s my first one, actu- ally, but yes, it is because there’s a good rivalry and it’s quite friendly. I’m always wel- come there, and I know a lot of the people down at Radstock
and they’re always welcome up to Welton. I think they would come up watching on Satur- days, actually.
“I think it is a big game. In the scheme of things, for us, we’re on a slightly different stretch at the moment than Radstock, so I think they are probably overwhelmingly favourites to win the game; es- pecially being at home as well. From my point of view, I think it’s just getting up there, doing what we do, not worrying too much about how they play or what they do, and see if we can upset the odds against them.
“They’re flying at the mo- ment; they’re banging in goals left, right and centre, obviously confidence is pretty high, un- doubtedly favourites for it, but like I said, I think we’ve got players that can do something, so hopefully when we turn up on Boxing Day the pitch will be decent; I’m sure it will be and then it will be a good game for people to come down and watch. But it’s always good fun Boxing Day, isn’t it?”
IN: “Before I let you go, Jared, I know you’re a Man- ager who has had a lot of expe- rience around the Western League over the years, but for some of the Welton Rovers fans, could you tell us a little bit about your journey to the Welton Rovers dug out?
JG: “I started at Keynsham with Terry Moore a few years ago, it was, and then I went down to Cheddar where I man- aged for three years. We then parted company. We ran the league pretty close a couple of times at Cheddar, and they’ve played the kind of football they’re still playing now, where we try to knock the ball around a bit. Then we parted company and I wanted a break. Then, I went last year helping out at Bishop Sutton to see if I was still interested, to be honest. Then, obviously Malcolm ap- proached me, and it was bit difficult to turn down, really.
“I think the club is such a good club and I’ve been welcomed there, which is great. The people that come and watch are fantastic, they get behind the team. The pitch is just brilliant to play on, even in this weather it is superb. The club set-up is brilliant – the guys that work there; Gareth, Dave and Malcolm and all the guys, they are absolutely superb to me. It’s certainly brought me back to football, which is good, because I’m really enjoying it now.”
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