The new King of Kingstonian

There were a few shocks on Saturday afternoon. Lewes scored eight goals at the Dripping Pan (and then photoshopped an 8-1 score onto an image of their broken scoreboard, the sneaks!), Folkestone Invicta went goal crazy at Leiston, Tooting & Mitcham United went to Tonbridge and turned over Angels for their third consecutive victory. But perhaps the biggest surprise came at around ten to eight in the evening, when Whyteleafe announced via social media that manager Leigh Dynan had left the club after a year in charge, and was to become the new manager of Kingstonian FC.

We caught up with Leigh to find out what triggered his move, and to talk about his expectations for the rest of the season- and about the reaction of the Whyteleafe faithful to his departure.

The announcement on Saturday night came as a bit of a surprise. How did it all come about?

On Monday Kingstonian called and asked if I’d be interested in talking to them. It seems that I’d been recommended to them by a couple of people whose opinions they valued, and they wanted to take a look at my CV and have a conversation. So I went along there on Wednesday and had a long meeting with the board, and around an hour later they contacted me and offered me the job. I thought about it, and then I had a meeting with the board at Whyteleafe and told them that I’d been offered the job and had decided to take it.

My heart told me to stay at Whyteleafe- I’ve built something I’m proud of there, we were doing well, and I love the club- but my head was saying that this was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up.

So what, for you, was the attraction of Kingstonian?

It’s a big club, with a big history. They may not have a ground at the moment, but that will come. It was a no-brainer, really; they’re sixth in the league, they have a good squad, and I felt that the board believed in me from the off. They then offered me an eighteen month contract to demonstrate that belief.

Craig Edwards, your predecessor, stated last week that he’d resigned after his budget was cut. Were you given assurances about your budget?

I’m more than happy with my budget, although you can never say never to further cuts- the club has to live within its means. I need to win games, hopefully progress a few rounds in the FA Trophy, but if it’s cut then it won’t be by much. I expect that as a manager in Non-League- it’s the same at most clubs.

You had your first training session with your new squad last night. How did that go?

It went well. I met the boys, introduced my management team, the squad enjoyed it…all was good. We’ll be having a light training session on Thursday and then we’ve got the match against Thurrock on Friday night.

Any changes planned, then? Are you happy with the squad you’ve inherited, or do you expect to be adding to it?

There’ll be a couple of signings announced later this week, but I need to assess the group. I know some of them quite well- Paul Rodgers, Rob Tolfrey, Sam Page, Aaron Goode- but there won’t be any snap changes. They aren’t in sixth place in the league for no reason at all- there are some quality players here- so I don’t expect to be making massive changes. It was different when I went to Whyteleafe, the side was in trouble, the first team had little structure and I had to make massive changes. It isn’t like that at Kingstonian. I’ll do my assessing and then go from there.

The new signings- are they players from Whyteleafe?

I can’t comment on that at the moment as nothing has been finalised. They’ll be announced later this week, but they won’t be involved on Friday because they’re cup-tied.

So what are your targets for this year?

The target I’ve set myself is to be challenging for a playoff spot. Whatever league I’m in I want to head upwards. I realise it won’t be easy- people keep saying that Billericay are going to walk the league but they have competition from the likes of Dulwich Hamlet, and from Hendon. The last time Gary at Hendon had a team that started like they have this season they should have won promotion. I think they’ll be a force for the entire campaign.

Realistically, I need to get the team to as high a position as I can, but I don’t think that the playoffs are beyond us. The club haven’t set me any targets, apart from to carry on the progression that Craig started. He did a fantastic job to keep the club up- they looked like being relegated when he joined- and they’ve pushed on massively this season. Yes, there have been a few poor results recently but we’re in a healthy position.

Will you be looking to change the style of play? From past evidence you’re a pass, press and move sort of manager, Craig’s style was a little different, more attritional, perhaps.

Yes, Craig and I are obviously slightly different in our philosophies, and there will be a little bit of a change. I focus on pace and power, but we’ll see how it goes. I’m confident that the players I have can adapt to the way that I want them to play.

I don’t expect that anything will have changed by the time we play Thurrock on Friday night!

Is there any message you’d like to send to the supporters at Whyteleafe, because you didn’t really get the chance to say goodbye, did you?

Oh, I did get to say goodbye. I spoke to the hard core of the supporters in the bar after the match with Greenwich on Saturday, before the club had made the announcement, and they were lovely. I sat down and we had a chat, I explained why I was going, and they were so kind and understanding- they said that they’d have done the same thing in my position. I left on good terms with the supporters and with the club, and I’ll miss them. I haven’t burned any bridges and I’ll be looking out for their results and hoping that they go on to greater success.

Kingstonian take on Thurrock in the FA Trophy on Friday night, at Fetcham Grove. Whyteleafe’s first match after Leigh’s departure will be away to the Nuts and Bolts of Ashford United, Saturday at 3PM.

Image courtesy of Whyteleafe FC.