Matlock Town boss sets high benchmark for new season

Town have returned to light training as part of their plans to allow new and old players to integrate under social distancing rules.

And Phillips has set his players the task of finishing in what would be their best league position for seven seasons.

“I’ve got to put my own stamp on things because no disrespect to anyone who’s been here before us, the highest Matlock finish in the past six seasons is 14th,” he said.

“It’s not good enough. Last year we had players who really wanted to play for the football club but we had players who didn’t care less, win lose or draw as long as they picked their money up.

“What we will see is that we’ll have players where it means something to them, when they go in the bar afterwards they can look people in the face and say we’ve given you 100 per cent, win lose or draw, saying we will put things right or we will keep things going come the next game. That’s all I can ask for from my squad.”

And, although it may not be realistic, Phillips is initially targeting top spot.

“Everyone asks me this question whether it’s at job interview stage or through the media and press,” he added.

“If I said if we finished tenth I’d be over the moon, what does that say? What kind of standards does it set to the players and to my management team and to the people who put money into the club week after week?

“For me, we’re all on zero points come September or whenever the season begins, we’ve as good a chance as the rest of the other teams.

“I’m not saying we’re going to win the league but that’s the aim when we set out. When we can’t win the league it’s a play-off place and then to finish as high as possible but that’s where we’re setting the bar.”

Phillips has three new additions to date after signing forward Kayde Coppin, Buxton captain Callum Chippendale and Radcliffe winger Callum Dolan.

And the boss is warning everyone in his squad, new and old, will have to fight for their place each week.

“Everyone starts off now with a clean slate” Phillips added. “No-one’s guaranteed to play week in, week out whether they’ve been here for ten years or they’ve been here for only two games.

“If a player comes in pre season, proves his fitness, shows a willingness to work and prove they’re good enough to play for myself, good enough to play for the club, they’ll get picked for the first game.

“Players will have to earn that right to play, I don’t want to go back to previous regimes but I don’t think that was always the case. This year I think you’ll see a team that’s hard working and hard to beat.”

With top scorer Marcus Marshall having moved on to Basford United, Phillips is well aware of the need to replace and add to Marshall’s goal tally.

Phillips added: “We’ve got to make sure we bring the right people in to score the goals that we struggled with last year.

“Everyone will be wanting to bring these people in, and we want to ensure that’s done before the season starts, bringing that key player who can score twenty or thirty goals or two players that can score forty goals between them.

“We didn’t score enough last season, you don’t have to be a centre forward to score, you can be a centre half, goalkeeper or whatever, they all count whether you score them from five yards, one yard or 50 yards.

“Marshy (Marshall)’s a great player, he was brilliant both on and off the pitch but I didn’t think he was an out and out centre forward, I think we played better when Chib (Chilaka) played as an out and out centre forward.

“Marshy’s gone and we need to replace the goals and the talent he had. I’m excited by the players we’re bringing in and I’m sure the fans will be when we’re able to release the news of the signings.”