The first job was to start watching last year’s games from the division they have entered for the first time in club history.
Playing style, shape, systems, restarts, dead-balls, how many times the ball goes out of play – Jenkins wanted to drill into as many games and teams as possible. By the start of pre-season they’d watched every team at least once.
Then when pre-season kicked off, they were out on the ground getting eyes on as many teams and styles as possible.
“We sounded like a broken record, the staff,” the 32-year-old says. “We were telling the boys, ‘Listen, we’re good enough. We’re here for a reason. We’ve got enough to survive, hurt teams and enjoy it’.
“We banged on about, ‘You’ve got to believe’. I think now we’ve had a couple of good results and a few good performances, that belief breeds itself. It’s less us enforcing it and more the boys promoting it in the changing room. They can feel it.
“There were a lot of doubters outside the football club saying we’re going to get battered each week. I had direct messages saying we’ll go straight back down!
“To see our first eight games and where we are – and where we should be points wise – is really pleasing. The tough thing now is it’s going to get even harder.”
City arrived at NonLeague's top table through the National League South play-offs, beating Worthing in the semi-final before a 4-0 demolition of St Albans City in the final.
That same scoreline against Boreham Wood on Bank Holiday Monday put their first three points on the board, followed by a 3-3 draw at leaders Solihull Moors before an impressive 5-2 win over Hartlepool last weekend.
Peace of mind
Esta historia es de la edición September 17, 2023 de The Non-League Football Paper.
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Esta historia es de la edición September 17, 2023 de The Non-League Football Paper.
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