LIKE a latterday Stonewall Jackson, John Flanagan refuses to countenance retreat. Curzon Ashton may not be able to compete financially with big guns like Salford, York or Darlington, but the Nash boss insists that’s no reason why they can’t compete on the pitch.
He bridles at the very mention of the word survival. Since winning promotion to National League North two years ago, Curzon have finished eleventh and 14th and reached the second round of the FA Cup. Flanagan sees no reason why they shouldn’t do even better this season.
His stated aim is a top ten place. But press him, and he’ll admit that he believes his team is capable of sneaking into the play-off places.
“I consider myself a match for the other managers in the division,” said Flanagan. “I don’t have the resources most of them have, but my target is to get us into the top ten and I honestly believe we can win enough games to do so.
“Top seven is the play-offs, so if we can get around the top ten we won’t be far away. Get on a bit of a good run and who knows what might happen.”
Flanagan has literally beefed up his squad over the summer. He has recruited players who are bigger than what he terms the Curzon norm, and is prepared to sacrifice some flowing football to make sure his team gets caught out less and fewer goals are conceded.
Having strengthened the defence, the Nash manager believes he will achieve that aim. The question he is unable to answer at the moment is how effective his forward line will prove.
Flanagan explained: “I don’t see the new season as a fight against relegation or just to stay in National League North. I couldn’t go about things like that.
“I’m confident we’ll defend well. I’ve brought in some big lads in at the back and we’ve looked solid in pre-season. For me, if we’ve got a problem, it’ll be goals. It all depends on whether the strikers fire — whether we’ve got somebody who can score regularly.
“In terms of our style, we’ll still try to play but we might have to slightly tweak the way we go about things so that we don’t get caught on the counter-attack.
“I’ve signed central defender Steve Howson from Salford and he’s a real leader — the sort of man you’d want in the trenches with you. Matt Regan, from Stalybridge, is similar. He’s dogged and determined. In midfield, Paul Marshall gives us that extra bit of quality.
“We need the big lads at the back to help at set-pieces because in our division there’s a lot of emphasis on playing direct and getting the ball into the box.”
For his last line of defence, Flanagan is counting on Cameron Mason. The keeper may be young, but the manager rates him very highly and feels that he is a more than capable replacement for Hakan Burton who has signed for Colne.
“I’ve promoted him from back-up because I have real belief in the lad. I believe he can push on and become a great keeper.
“People will question that because Cameron can be impulsive and has done some wacky things, but I’ve been working with him and he’s shown real improvement. He’s had an excellent pre-season.
“I know he’ll mess up at times, but all keepers are capable of that. Look at how things went for Hakan against Wimbledon.
Up front, Flanagan has brought in Scott Bakkor from Warrington and Max Leonard from Glossop. He sees Leonard as similar in style to Matty Warburton who has moved to Stockport — cute and clever.
The boss added: “There are bound to be some games when we get beaten by a few goals, but it’s what we do next that matters. We can’t afford to have any runs of defeats. We’ve got to be able to stay in matches.
“If you concede three or four regularly you’ve got a problem. But if you’re playing badly and it’s only one goal, you always have the chance to sneak a 1-1 draw.
“The ability to stay in the game is the key. Because of the changes I’ve made, I truly believe we have a chance of being able to do that.”
Players in
Scott Bakkor (striker) from Warrington Town
Steve Howson (defender) from Salford City
Max Leonard (striker) Glossop North End
Paul Marshall (central midfielder) Alfreton
Matt Regan (central defender) Stalybridge Celtic
Players out
Hakan Burton (goalkeeper) Colne
Paul Ennis (striker) to Stalybridge Celtic
Ryan Hall (midfield) Spennymoor
Luke Horrocks (midfielder) to Colwyn Bay
Liam Tomsett (midfielder) to Ashton United
Matt Warburton (striker) to Stockport County
Alex Brown has signed forms but his new coaching job will severely curtail his availability.