The Bostik Friday Interview: Promotion Man

By Ian Townsend

Five Seasons, Five Clubs, Five Titles. One Player.

Football writers focused on the goings-on of the FA Premier League -or indeed, most of the professional game- tend to have more source material than they could possibly require. The likes of a Rooney or a Terry have their every moment meticulously documented, analysed and debated. Further down the pyramid, however, and it’s far more difficult to compare and contrast players from, say, the United’s of Hastings and Ashford than it is their partial namesakes in Manchester and Newcastle. Which is why the next statement comes with a qualifier.

Unless you know differently, Rob O’Toole is the most consistently successful footballer currently playing in the Non League game.

Horsham’s new signing has played for five different sides during the past five years. At each of Peacehaven & Telscombe, East Preston, Burgess Hill Town, Haywards Heath Town and Shoreham he has ended the season clutching a Champions medal. At each of them apart from East Preston- denied promotion due to ground grading issues- his club have ended the season preparing for life in the tier above. Horsham supporters must be rubbing their hands in glee. We caught up with him shortly after he’d begun his pre-season preparations.

Five titles in five years. What’s your secret?

Luck, I guess! I couldn’t say that I was any bigger a part of that than anyone else, I’ve always been lucky enough to play in good teams and it’s regularly turned out well.

So if you took time to think about the last five years, which moments stand out for you as highlights? There must be so many?

The Burgess Hill season. Not just the fact that we won the league, but the way we played in the knockout competitions. We were one game away from getting to the First Round of the FA Cup, we beat Sutton United on their own ground, and we beat Aldershot at the Recreation Ground in the FA Trophy. That game at Aldershot is still probably my favourite football memory; they treated us really well, ordered us pizza and things for after the game, but I don’t honestly think that they ever expected to lose and they were so shocked when we turned them over 1-0. We were scheduled to have our Christmas party the same night and that was some celebration!

But on an entirely different note, the final season with Peacehaven was special on many levels. We lost one of our team mates, Connor Saunders, in tragic circumstances* and it ripped us to pieces initially, but in the end it brought us closer together and made us determined to be successful. We worked so hard to win the league in Connor’s memory, and we were so, so proud when we achieved it. That moment when we knew we’d won; it’ll stay with each of us forever.

The 2014/15 season saw the Hillians go unbeaten in the league until the middle of March, but despite a sixth place finish the previous year you hadn’t been talked about as potential champions. What happened to turn you from a sixth place side to one which was almost unbeatable?

The team spirit was fantastic. I joined the club in pre-season and immediately everyone got on, we became good friends, we began to socialise together. I think that spirit took us beyond the limit of our abilities; we could be a goal down and look knackered but somehow we’d manage to force our way back into the game and turn it into a 2-1 victory. When you’re playing for your mates you become desperate not to let them down and you work harder as a consequence. By the time we finally lost a league game it was very much because we were shattered- we’d gone so far in cup competitions that we’d perhaps played ten games more than the competition.

That said, you don’t expect to ever go unbeaten over a season, so although we were disappointed we soon got over it and pushed on.

So you won promotion to the Isthmian Premier, had incredible success, scored a hatful of goals, and then at the end of the season dropped two divisions. Why did you decide to do that- it was an enormous surprise to many when you ended up at Haywards Heath Town?

My partner was pregnant, I had work commitments, and when you get promoted to the Premier Division the away trips suddenly get a whole lot longer. I spoke to Chappers (Hill manager Ian Chapman) and told him honestly that I couldn’t commit to be there all of the time, particularly for the away games. He was fine with that, but obviously he couldn’t guarantee that I’d be able to get back into the team when I was available. I made the decision that if I wanted to play, and I wanted to ensure that I could fit my football into my life, that I had to go somewhere else. He left the door open if I wanted to go back and I was grateful for that, but leaving was the right thing to do, much as I didn’t really want to go.

So why Haywards Heath Town?

I’ve known the manager, Shaun Saunders, for years. I went on holiday after leaving Hill, and when I got back I went along for a training session- I’d not even thought about signing there- and the next day Shaun rang me and asked where I was going to go. I didn’t have any plans, I’d known some of the squad there for years, and thought it might be fun. I bought into Shaun’s plan pretty quickly, and I’d probably not have left if my brother (Bryan) hadn’t taken the job of managing Shoreham. I was certain that I was going to stay at Heath, but I’d always wanted to win something with my brother and I thought that this might be the only chance I’d get to do that, so I packed my bags and off I went.

That ended well, with Shoreham champions and promoted, but that only happened because Heath had points deducted. It must have been a little bittersweet for you?

It’s a strange way to win the league, certainly. Normally you get to celebrate, have a meal, raise the trophy and really enjoy the moment. It took so long to sort out that we couldn’t do that; indeed I haven’t even got my medal yet, unless Bryan has it in his bag and has forgotten to give it to me! I have such affection for Heath, and it’s a shame because they’re a fabulous club and the volunteers there are lovely people, they’re all ready for promotion, and to have it snatched from them at the last moment…I’m delighted for Shoreham, as the people there are magnificent too, and I’m overjoyed that my brother and I fulfilled our ambition, but I’d rather it hadn’t ended like that. It’s all a little awkward.

So what attracted you to Horsham?

The gaffer promised my missus a sunbed! Seriously, I’ve known Dom (Di Paola, the manager) for years, I played for him at East Preston, and we occasionally go and watch United (Manchester, not Hastings) together. He’s been asking me to come and play for him for a while, and when he explained to me the ambition of the club I was sold. There’s a lot of excitement about the place- they’ve got permission to build the new ground, and Dom explained that if he could get me to sign it might help him to attract a few more players, and it’s certainly worked out that way.

Indeed, he seems to be rebuilding the Burgess Hill Town title winning squad!

Yes, it does look a little like that, doesn’t it? Josh (James), Joe (Keehan), Scott (Kirkwood), me and Buddy (Darren Budd, signed from Bognor Regis Town)- it’s like a reunion. But we’re building a really good squad. We’ve players who won promotion with Worthing, too- a lot of people who know how to get out of this league. We want to try and win it, and I don’t see why that should be impossible. We need to get used to playing on a 3G pitch (Horsham will be playing this season at Culver Road, home of Lancing FC), and that might take a little while, but I hope that we’ll be challenging.

Thirty six goals last season. What are your personal aims for the new campaign?

I just aim to get twenty goals. Last season, as you say, it was thirty six, the season before I got to forty. I’m disappointed if I get less.

When you first came to local prominence you were a winger. Now you’re an out and out number ten. How did that change come about?

I started off as a forward, and then whilst I was at school the teacher asked if anyone could play on the wing and I stupidly put my hand up. I was stuck out there for years, and then when I came away from Burgess Hill I asked to play up front and got my own way. I’ve no intention of moving back to the wing- there’s too much running up and down!

Which games are you most looking forward to this season?

It’ll be nice to go back to Shoreham, but I don’t really think about particular matches all that much. I’m just looking forward to playing, and I’m convinced that it’s going to be a good season!

Supporters of Horsham FC have remained loud and positive through many years of uncertainty and disappointment, but must finally be thinking that their luck has changed. Relegation was followed by promotion, and that in turn was followed by the biggest prize of all; finally getting planning permission for a new ground. Soon they’ll be wandering nomads no longer- and, just perhaps, the delight of finally having a home of their own might just be supplemented by further success on the field.

With Rob ‘Promotion Man’ O’Toole among their ranks it would be difficult to bet against it.

* The Connor Saunders Foundation does fantastic work in the Sussex community, particularly in providing defibrillators to sports clubs and schools. Find out about them here: Connor Saunders Foundation

Photograph: John Lines

Where next?

Bostik Supporters Preview 17/18: Dulwich Hamlet The latest in our series of supporters predictions- this time featuring Mishi Morath for Dulwich Hamlet.
Bostik Supporters Preview 17/18: East Grinstead Town The latest in our series of supporters predictions features Mark Stevens, representing East Grinstead Town.

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