Whatever the task, I'm willing to get my hands dirty

THERE can't be many National League managers helping out with a kitchen fitting when The NLP calls but Steve Pitt needs to phone back.

- By MATT BADCOCK

A degree-educated quantity surveyor, he has a construction business run by son Olly and he's been called in to help with a tricky job.

"It's pretty full on," Pitt smiles when he returns the call. "One of my kitchen fitters said to me if you don't come and give me a hand I am pretty much done because I am going on holiday tomorrow for two weeks so, what do you do?"

Pitt doesn't mind getting his hands dirty and that approach certainly paid off for the Braintree Town boss last season.

Arriving in December to replace Angelo Harrop who he'd previously been assistant to at the Cressing Road club the Iron were in the thick of a relegation battle.

Slowly but surely the results started to come, with big wins over the top three Barnet, York City and Forest Green all included in their survival success as the Essex outfit secured another season in Non-League's top flight.

Pitt has retained ten of last season's squad including the experienced John Akinde and Alan Judge announced the signing of forward Lewis Walker from Woking with more imminent arrivals in the pipeline.

As always, the summer can be a waiting game with lots of moving parts when it comes to signing players.

"There always will be," Pitt says. "I admire clubs who can get all their business done early but, very often, those clubs are in a totally different place to the likes of Braintree Town.

"I've learnt to be patient in my career and the situation we're in now is no different. You can never be too satisfied but I am comfortable where we are. I know what I've got to do and how I've got to do it. Our focus and our aim is to be ready and competitive for Saturday, August 9."

One player they won't have on the opening day and with good reason is Kyrell Lisbie.

The 21-year-old has bagged a move to League One Peterborough United after a dream season at Step 1 having joined last summer from Cray Valley PM.