I MADE my first visit to Skrill Premier new-boys Welling on Monday and the late Bank Holiday afternoon sun shone down on Park View Road. Considering United’s bright start, it may well be about to set on manager Jamie Day’s playing career.
As the events unfolded, a goalless draw against Salisbury City – promoted in May with the South champions – might be seen as two points dropped for the Kent club.
Mikey Harris’ visitors played with ten men from just before half-time after Theo Lewis’ harsh red card, then conceded a penalty six minutes into injury-time, which Joe Healy failed to convert.
But with a draw and a win at home to Cambridge and Grimsby, followed by a 4-2 success at Woking, it’s fair to say that although the Wings might not yet be “flying in”, as their fans’ song goes to the tune of ‘When The Saints Go Marching In’, they are at least off the ground in their first top-flight campaign since 1999-2000.
Day, such an influence last term he won not only the Conference South’s manager of the year award, but also selection in the division’s team of the year, has not yet played after suffering an achilles injury in pre-season.
He named himself on the bench on Monday, but like vastly experienced captain Lee Clarke, who had stitches in his eyebrow, it was token gesture to make the numbers up with two games in three days stretching his young, thin squad to the limit.
Thirty-four in a fortnight, Day admits the emergence of young holding midfielder Jake Gallagher might keep him in the dugout – and that is something he is only too happy about.
“I don’t need to play while Jake is doing so well – he does me a favour,” says Day. “He gets around the pitch, he puts tackles in and he keeps the ball ticking over. He’s only 20 as well – still a baby.
“He was at Millwall and went to Staines on loan, which is where we first saw him. Millwall released him and he had a brief spell in Iceland, then we managed to get him.
Experience
“He scored a couple of late goals last year for us and he’s a very good player who’ll only improve by playing games. Obviously he’s got fresher legs than me now and he’s got better with the ball as well.
“Maybe there’ll be the odd time when we need a bit of experience and we might chop and change it, but he’s come in and been first class.”
Although Day’s vast experience of the Conference and its feeders over the past 12 years with Dover, Welling (in his first spell between 2004 and ’07), Grays and Dartford is likely to prove useful, he is currently in that no-man’s land all player-managers find themselves in.
“In Conference South you can get away a bit with not knowing where they’re going to go at set-plays and things like that,” says Day, “but at this level you can’t, and I think I need to be a bit more stand-offish and maybe get the other side right.
Important
“If I’m needed I’ll still play. I’m not going to retire yet. But I think the other side is more important this year because sometimes when you play, you forget about all the others and the finer details.
“When you’re the manager, you’re the one who’s got to make sure the details are put in place. Hopefully they’ll keep playing well and then I don’t have to play.”
One thing Day does want to keep a check on is the rising expectation at Park View Road; a ground that is a quirky mix of ageing wooden grandstands, open terraces next to the high street and a modern structure that houses permanent ground-sharers Erith & Belvedere.
Day, born just three miles away in Sidcup, says: “I don’t go on there, but my mate rang me up and said ‘Have you seen the internet forum? They’re going on about League Two and the ground being good enough’.
“Because we’ve had an OK start, people get carried away and lose track of what the aim is – which is getting enough points to stay in the division.
“The boys are enjoying the step up at the minute, playing against the bigger clubs in bigger stadiums. They’ve upped their game but they need to do it over 46 games, not five.”
And if they don’t, the gaffer will be tying up his laces!
