Keen on Earning `Sedge a Few Quid

Eric Gilchrist may be turned off by the money culture in non-League circles but earning a few quid for Liversedge in....

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Published 10th August 2012

Eric Gilchrist

....the FA Cup would not go amiss!

Gilchrist, who returned to the Baris Northern Counties East League Premier Division outfit for a second spell in charge earlier this summer, has been energised by his return to Clayborn with his youthful charges hosting crack Ebac Northern League outfit West Auckland Town in the Extra Preliminary Round tomorrow.

Gilchrist has plenty of previous in regard to football’s most famous cup competition, having taken former club Ossett Albion to the brink of the first round proper on several occasions and a successful run this year would certainly keep his chairman Steve Newton happy.

Saturday’s task against the north-easterners, favourites according to Gilchrist, will be a tall order, but `Sedge certainly won’t be found wanting for lack of effort.

Gilchrist said: “I’ve been to the last qualifying round three times and have had some good runs over the years.

“I remember losing to Scarborough in a replay when they were in the Conference and to Stalybridge Celtic and also beating Wokington.

“At Albion, we also got exposure on Look North once when there was the Ossett derby.

“Cups can be a lifeblood and at Albion over the years, we made close on £25,000 through the cup runs and it goes a fair way.

“I know my chairman would like a cup good run, but Saturday might be a step too far as I have seen West Auckland play and any team who finishes second in the Northern League are a decent team, no two ways about it.

“But with kids, they play without fear and attention to reputation and we might get that on Saturday.”

The challenge of working with a group of enthusiastic young players, backed up by some solid senior pros in the likes of Darryl Leach, Jamie Riordan, Chris Wood, Chris Hanney and Danny Cooper has re-lit the managerial fires of Gilchrist.

He admits that he was starting to fall out of love with the game during his latter spells in the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League with both Ossett Albion and Ossett Town.

And while his Clayborn budget may be pretty miniscule, he could not be happier.

On returning to `Sedge, Gilchrist, who spent eleven years at Ossett Albion after leaving first time around in 2000, said: “To be fair, I’d contemplated doing nothing at all. But Liversedge came in and I can’t think of any other club I’d have gone to, if I’m brutally frank.

“I’d been doing non-League management for seventeen or eighteen years and I thought about taking a break as it becomes all-consuming with training and games twice a week.

“You lose a lot of chances to do other things. But I spoke to Steve and he was positive about developing young kids and I quite fancied the challenge of working with a group of players who aren’t just motivated by money.

“I’ve enjoyed pre-season with a really good group of kids who listen hard to what you are telling them.

“They are buying into what we are doing and have a great attitude and It’s been a breath of fresh air.

“I’ve no doubt that the likes of Staveley Miners Welfare, Bridlington Town, Scarborough Athletic, Retford United and Brighouse Town will be five out of the first top six in our league.

“The reason being for that is because they are paying high wages out.

“We don’t pay any basic wages whatsoever and the players get just a payment per win.

“I’d got fed up off coming off after games and players coming to me saying: ‘I’m a tenner short in my wages this week’ rather than maybe apologising after not being very good today and it just got me down and took the enjoyment away.

“Here, I’ve got a fantastic backroom staff of Sean Regan, Dave Thompson and Richard Addy, who are proper football people who want to put some time and effort into the young kids. That’s the way we want to do it.”