Wilson planning steady progress at Swifts

New Heybridge Swifts manager Keith Wilson is relishing his new challenge in Ryman North next season after being told he’ll be given the time to succeed.

Wilson, pictured, left Ryman North rivals Burnham Ramblers last week after six successful years, four of them as manager, to replace Jody Brown at Scraley Road following his departure earlier this month to manage Grays Athletic.

Wilson led the Ramblers to the Essex Senior League title in the 2012-13 campaign and subsequently kept the club up in their first season at Ryman League level with a 17th place finish. He is Swifts' third manager in a year after Brown replaced Chelmsford City-bound Mark Hawkes in November 2013.

Following his appointment, Wilson confirmed that player-coach Lee Boylan and goalkeeper coach Ricky Clarke, who've been taking pre-season since Brown's exit, were staying on to work with him.

Wilson faced a baptism of fire last Tuesday night when Swifts lost 8-0 at home to Colchester United in his first game in charge. On Saturday they drew 3-3 with Kelvedon Hatch and travel to Canvey Island this Tuesday night.

After seeing his new squad secure a third place finish last season despite the upheavals there, Wilson is confident about their prospects. The 36-year-old former Ramblers club captain told www.essexchronicle.co.uk that the chance to manage Swifts was also too good to turn down.

He said: "I want to manage as high as I can. I want to progress and I just felt that when I sat down and spoke to the people from Heybridge their ambitions matched mine. That's not being disrespectful to Burnham.

"I leave Burnham in a really strong position, they're the highest they've ever been in the league. I've assembled a good squad for this season, but I just thought, if I don't take this opportunity, would it come around again?

"I'm not blowing my own trumpet, but my status as a manager is solid. I've won the Essex Senior League with Burnham and then kept them up comfortably in their first season in the Ryman League.

"Heybridge finished third in league last year, which was attractive, but also is hopefully the chance to spend a long time at the club and build something. That's something they've not had recently and the club have said they will give me that, which is what I want.

"It's a challenge I'm going to relish and look forward to and get my teeth into. There's been a lot of upheaval. There's been players not knowing what's going on and have left and some have followed Jody to Grays.

"There's still a fair few that are staying there from last year and I can guarantee we will be going out every week trying to finish as high as we can. I'm not going to make wild declarations that we will do this, that and the other. The club are hoping for a top-half finish, which is what I am looking for.

"They understand it's going to take a little while. The players don't know me and I don't know them. But the close season is when managers do a lot of their business and I'm coming in a month behind. Once I've had a period of time and we can look to progress, there's no reason why we cannot reach the play-offs, but we've got to be realistic.

"We do look a little bit light but I've already had players phoning me up saying they'd want to come to the club. If the majority of last year's team which finished third come back, then I won't need to tinker too much."

* Swifts officials have launched a new 12th Man campaign for fans to support their new manager and boost his budget next season. As part of the drive, supporters are being encouraged to use more of the club's facilities throughout the week and support their commercial activities on matchdays. For more details email: hsfc12thman@hotmail.co.uk.

Images courtesy of www.essexchronicle.co.uk