By John Lyons
HIS budget may not be that of his predecessors but new Whitehawk manager Jimmy Dack believes the club can become a mini-Brighton in their community.
The 45-year-old former Newport County boss joined the club as assistant manager to Andy Woodman in February and played his part in keeping the toiling Hawks in National League South.
Ex-Northampton keeper Woodman left once the campaign was over, allowing Dack to step into the hotseat.
Even a big budget cut didn’t put him off and now he believes the Brighton-based outfit can look to go in a different direction.
He said: “I got the opportunity to become the manager and I felt I had to take it.
Spin-off
“The budget has been reduced by 40 per cent, but sometimes it’s not about paying the big money. It’s about getting the right players who want to play for you and the football club, and that’s what we’re trying to do.
“It’s not a championship-winning budget, but if we can be competitive and have an honest group of players, who knows where that can take us?”
One positive spin-off from having a smaller bank balance to work with is that it will allow more local youngsters to have an opportunity.
The Under-18 team won the treble of league, league cup and county cup last season, suggesting there is talent in the camp that can be honed.
And there is also the possibility of trying to extend links with Premier League-bound neighbours Brighton & Hove Albion.
Dack explained: “In a couple of years the club want to move into a new stadium, a five or six thousand all-seater. They could be the smaller version of Brighton.
“The owners want to tap into the community, but they feel they have lost that community spirit by having a lot of London-based players.
“Local players maybe have a bit more drive and the club had a lot of success with a local-based team coming up through the leagues.
“The owners want to take the club in that direction again, with players that know what it feels like to win and lose in their home town.
“The youth team did brilliantly last year and we want to try to bring some of them through.
“We are also building up a good relationship with Brighton. We can help their young players if they come to us by giving them experience of men’s football.
Rebuild
“It might be something that can really work as a partnership.”
Whitehawk fans can expect to see a much-changed team next season. The likes of Sergio Torres (Eastbourne Borough), Danny Mills (Ebbsfleet), Mike West (Chelmsford) and Alex Osborn (Hemel Hempstead) have moved on.
“We made offers to four or five existing players, but they were offered, and got, more money elsewhere,” admitted Dack, who has signed a one-year deal.
“They were offered 30 to 40 per cent less than they were on so I can understand that. We have to completely rebuild.”
Dack is pleased to have captured former Basingstoke Town keeper Alex Tokarczyk, 24, and ex-Brighton midfielder Connor Tighe, 20, who had a loan spell with the Hawks last term, while also handing deals to 18-year-old pair Jordan Hawkins and Billy Barker.
He added: “The owners want to bring the club and community together, and it’s my job to try to do that. I’m looking forward to it.”
