They happily accept that they’re a pair of comedians, but they stress they’re comedians who get the job done, and who have won four Manchester Premier Cups.
It’s been a rough ride since they became co-bosses of Glossop North End in October of last year. They managed only one win before Christmas, but since the turn of the year they have gradually picked up points.
“When we took the job we said we were the people to save the club from relegation. Our aim was to keep them up and now, with eight games left, we’re 17th in the Evo-stik NPL first division west and six points clear of the bottom two,” said Band.
“At our interview we said that Glossop were in a little mini-league. Our plan was to gradually move the side up the table one place at a time and I think we’re now the highest we’ve been all season.
“Crucially, we needed to beat Skelmersdale and Kendal, and we did that. On Saturday, we plan to beat Clitheroe too.”
Band believes much of the change in fortunes can be put down to the madcap style of management that he and Morrison employ.
“We bounce off each other and that lessens the pressure,” he explained. Everyone knows the two of us are as mad as a box of frogs but that’s how we deal with things. We try to take it into training and games. We want people to come here and enjoy their football. Also, we’ve got an excellent backroom team. It’s a tight, neat little set-up.
“What also helps is getting into a routine by playing every week. Too many times we’ve played one Saturday and then not had a game the next.
“We beat Colne and thought, ‘right, that’s it’. But the next two games were called off and then we found ourselves losing 5-0 to Ramsbottom. A lot of players have left the club, too, and it’s only this last month I’ve been able to keep the same back four.
“Results have picked up and I think we should have beat Droylsden and probably Prescot as well. But performances are getting better and that’s down to hard graft.”
Tomorrow (Tuesday) the Hillmen have lined up a friendly against Curzon Ashton on the 3G pitch at the Tameside Stadium. Band plans to use the game to look at fringe players who have been to training, or on the bench, and not able to break into the side.
A curious fact about the current Glossop side, and their position in the table, is that they are unbeaten away from home in nearly three months. Their last defeat was at leaders Atherton Collieries on December 22, when they lost out to an injury-time penalty.
Asked why away results are so much better than those at Surrey Street, Band replied: “I don’t know. I’ve joked about making us use the away dressing room but, if I think about it, I think we’ve only really let ourselves down twice: against Colwyn Bay and Ramsbottom.
“Hopefully, as we move forward, having a more settled squad will help us. I’m very upbeat about the way things are going.”