Dev still happy and hungry
Devonshire relishing the challenge at York Road and loves developing young players
It may be almost a decade since Alan Devonshire took over from Johnson Hippolyte as Maidenhead United boss for a second time, but he said this week he’s still got the appetite and desire to take the club forward into its eighth consecutive season in the National League.
United have once again fulfilled their number one aim of staying in the division, and - although that was only achieved mathematically after their penultimate game - it had looked to be on the cards since Easter Monday, when they came from twogoals down to beat Eastleigh 3-2.
That was the turning point in Devonshire's eyes, and his side then went on an undefeated run of four wins and a draw to confirm survival before the curtain came down on another successful campaign with Saturday's entertaining clash at Chesterfield.
United went down to a 3-2 defeat, with Ollie
Banks lashing home a 90th minute winner for the Spireites, however, the visitors once again showed the never-say-die attitude that's come to define the side over the past few years.
The curtain may have come down off the back of a defeat, but this has been another season to celebrate for the Magpies, who continue to confound their critics and doubters - as well as the bookies who always have them down as favourites for relegation.
Devonshire will pass the credit on to the players, and they deserve it for the hard work they put in week in and week out to churn out results, but the manager's influence remains key to the Magpies punching above their weight in the division, so Maidenhead fans will be delighted to hear he's not planning to hang up his cap anytime soon.
“I'm happy, I'm still hungry and I'm still the same person,” said Devonshire, when asked about his appetite for remaining at the Magpies' helm.
“I probably don’t get wound up so much as I used to, that’s probably because of age. But I’m still enjoying it and I'm still getting a hell of a buzz from bringing young players through and helping them.
“The young players have really come to the fore this year, alongside the experienced ones as well.
It’s been a good season seeing them progress.”
In the end, they finished the season 14th in the table with 58 points. It's not quite their highest finish in the league, but it's not far off, and they
were also six points above the bottom four, which saw Boreham Wood join Kidderminster Harriers, Dorking Wanderers and Oxford City in relegation on the final day.
Reflecting on his side's form over the final weeks of the campaign, Devonshire added: “The players have done great. I asked them to step it up and they’ve stepped it up. We’ve had a few injuries along the way and in our last game I think we’ve ended up with one midfield player.
“So, yeah, the injuries have hurt us this year. I think we’d have done better this year without the injuries. But when you look at the clubs that have gone down again, it’s amazing.
“You wouldn’t have thought Boreham Wood would have gone down with the big club they are and what they’ve been doing. It’s a great result for us really.
“In terms of injuries I've never had a season like it when I had so many players out at the same time or in the same position. It was difficult at times, but credit to the boys, they’ve dug in and got some great results.”
He added: “Coming back from 2-0 down at Eastleigh was a turning point for us as well. That turned out to be a great weekend for us and we just carried on from that. I think Saturday, was our first defeat in six matches and we should have won all five of those matches before Saturday as well. It is getting harder to compete. The bigger clubs are spending more money and it’s tough. But we’ll recharge our batteries and go again next season.”
The Magpies manager is now in the process of determining which players he can keep for next season and which he plans to let go, reluctantly or otherwise. He expects another sizeable overhaul this summer, with players coming and going, but certain players have already signed and others, such as Reece Smith and Casey Pettit, are under contract for another season and will only leave if a suitable offer comes in for them.
“At the end of the day, we’re in the early days of speaking with players and we’ll know more in the next few weeks,” he said. “I think with most clubs, unless they are big with lots of money, they’ll probably lose six and get six in. That’s been the case nearly every season for us and it will probably be the same again. You sometimes get players who you don’t expect to leave, and some boys stay who we didn’t expect to stay. It will work itself out in the next couple of weeks.
“We’re part time, and most boys want full-time football. That’s the problem we’ve had over the years. Reece (Smith) is under contract, and Casey (Pettit) is as well for another year. Unless someone comes in with an offer, but I’ve had nothing yet for any player. It’s something we’ll look at if it happens. I’ve signed a few already but there’s no point in me giving you names now; I should wait and then give you the whole lot.”