Brown: We delivered against all the odds

Heybridge Swifts manager Jody Brown reckons his squad deserve to give themselves a pat on the back after securing their place in the Ryman League’s play-offs when many were writing off their chances not so long ago.

Brown, pictured, believes that few would have picked his side for a Ryman North top-five finish at the start of the year after the upheaval the club went through midway through the campaign.

With the Swifts hosting Redbridge on Saturday and looking to cement their third place position and home advantage in the play-off semi-finals, he pointed to the exit before Christmas of the club’s former management team of Mark Hawkes and Steve Smith who left to join Chelmsford City.

In an interview with the Maldon Standard on Thursday, the Swifts manager also cited the subsequent departures of influential players Michael Cheek and Luke Callander who followed the pair to Melbourne Park along with the loss of a number of others who went elsewhere following a cut to the playing budget.

Brown said: "With the amount of players that left and the rebuilding that had to be done, I don’t think anyone outside the club thought we could do it. We had budget cuts, players having to take wage cuts but also new players coming to us rather than to clubs that could pay them more.

"Everyone is working for next to nothing. So this is a real team effort at the club and everyone deserves a pat on the back. Step one is complete, it’s step two next and we just have to finish the job. A third place finish will be important because then we can have home advantage."

He added: "The fans were great for the match against Witham last Saturday and they created an excellent atmosphere. And we would want that again in the play-off. But most importantly we want to win every game and finish as high as we can. Third place would be very impressive for the club given the upheaval we had."