Jammers hope the best is yet to come

By James Reid, Sportsbeat

Maldon & Tiptree hope their trip to the first round of the FA Cup is just start of their ascent up the football pyramid – even if their exuberant owner is yet to understand the offside rule.

The Jammers, who play in the eighth-tier of English football, make the trip to League One side Port Vale on Sunday seeking what would be one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history.

Yet this weekend’s money-spinning tie is only part of the story for the Essex club, who have lofty ambitions under the guidance of Barrie Drewitt-Barlow.

The multi-millionaire, who made his money in surrogacy and clinical research before earning fame as one of Britain’s first gay dads with then-partner Tony in 1999, took over the club in February alongside husband Scott.

He has assembled a star-studded squad to take on the Pitching In Isthmian League Division One North, with Freddie Sears, Macauley Bonne and Gary Hooper amongst the recruits.

On the surface, it is a familiar non-league story of cash being splashed on famous names, but Drewitt-Barlow insists he is in it for the long run and is even learning to love the beautiful game.

“I still don’t know anything about football, that’s the truth, so I can’t even pretend I do,” he said. “I don’t even know the offside rule. 

“There are other businesses I’m involved in I don’t know how to run, you just have to have the right people around you who do.

“You get what you pay for, if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Don’t pay peanuts, get the right people around you.

“You have to delegate the work to them, otherwise it becomes like Fawlty Towers.

“I found the right sporting director; I found the right manager and I found the right coaching staff off the back of those people I employed. It’s their job to put together a team that’s going to win the league.”

The manager in question is former Manchester City midfielder Kevin Horlock, who joined following success with Needham Market, while Mitchell Cowling – son of former owner Robbie, who also owns Colchester United – is the sporting director.  Though there will be little of it at Vale Park at the weekend, Cowling admits there is plenty of pressure when it comes to the task of promotion given the resources at his disposal.

“With the infrastructure we have got and the budget we have got, it has given us no excuses,” he said. “The pressure is definitely on but we love the pressure. We back our own ability that we can deliver what the owners want.

“All of these lads are brilliant characters on and off the pitch. They are not just coming to pick up a pay check, they want to win promotion.

“I have set the target of back-to-back promotions. There is no ceiling on where this club can go.”

The financial backing has supported a transformation of the facilities at Park Road, which now boasts a Tesla Cybertruck on one side of the pitch alongside a newly renovated bar.

Drewitt-Barlow watches matches from behind the goal in a white club blazer and ‘lucky’ pink loafers but despite the eccentricities, he is a hard-headed businessman at heart.

“This isn’t a hobby for me, I am not particularly a lover of football,” he said. “I am more interested in the business side.
“The education side really excites me; there is a lot of money in education whether you like it or not.

“If I can capitalise on that and do something good for the community at the same time – that’s exactly what I am going to do.
 

“It doesn’t matter how rich the owner is, the place needs to be sustainable. It’s not an endless pit.
 

“The fact we can win some silverware on the way, happy days.”

Maldon & Tiptree are among more than 220 clubs supported by Pitching In, Entain’s grassroots sport initiative which has a partnership with the Trident Leagues, providing community grants and highlighting volunteering opportunities for non-league supporters.

It may still be early days in Essex but the early sentiment from Maldon’s fans and volunteers is one of appreciation after some initial apprehensions about the takeover.

“It couldn’t be further from where we have come from to where we are now,” said Ross Holland, chair of the Jammers Fans’ Association. “It was a bit worrying, somebody coming in with a lot of money who is buying it as a present. Are they going to spend all this money, it’s not going to be sustainable, and then they’re going to disappear?

“In a very short space of time, not only have they invested in the team, they have proved themselves. We now have an under-18s team, we have a women’s team, we have a bar, a clubhouse being used properly. That’s in eight months, you wonder where we’re going to go from here.

“Before, we were a fans’ association without too many fans. There was a massive disconnect between the fans and the previous owners. It wasn’t a happy time; we went down to gates of 120-130.

It has been brought back to life, it’s fantastic.”

Find volunteering opportunities near you at https://pitchinginvolunteers.co.uk/