WE BATTLED IT TOGETHER

The Havant & Waterlooville boss praises the united front displayed by Step 2 rivals and explains how clubs will prepare for their forthcoming play-off campaigns amid the Covid guidelines

- PAUL DOSWELL

SEEING how everyone has come together to get our play-offs played has restored a bit of my faith in football.

It’s become very apparent the £75,000-£100,000 figures originally quoted were overestimated. As a club we’ve actually managed to get the costs down to around £20,000 by all pulling together.

Every single person at the football club has been given a role and they’re doing each one brilliantly.

I know our rivals in the National League South are all doing similar and that’s been the key thing. We were being frightened into what the costs might be.

Our players are taking substantially less wages to take part in these playoffs and give us a shot at promotion. It’s been great to see. Rivalries have been put to one side.

As football managers we live and thrive in a very competitive environment. We wouldn’t be in the game if we didn’t have that edge. We’re probably all a bit Marmite!

I don’t mind saying I fell out massively with Neil Baker and Jon Underwood at Slough when our league game earlier in the season was abandoned.

But it’s the measure of good people that you can get back on the phone a few weeks later and resume a very good relationship.

Bakes found the cheaper testing kits so we pay £30 instead of £150. Bakes made sure we all knew about it.