Manager Jordan Blake wanted to test himself at a higher level and, though it is still early days, he has made a promising start to his new challenge.
He left Woodley United in May after steering them to the Combined Counties League Division One play-offs, and is now guiding Yateley United through their early days in Premier Division South, their first season at Step 5.
“I’m happy with the way things are going so far, but there is still a lot of work to be done and a long way to go,” he said.
Blake spent four seasons at Woodley, and in the last two, he lifted them from the brink of relegation (they survived by just one point) to a team that reached the play-offs but just missed out on promotion.
Despite that success last season, he believed it was the right time to move on.
“I felt it was like the end of a cycle at Woodley for me and the right time to move on,” he said. “After four years, I was in need of a fresh challenge.”
He revealed he had “conversations with clubs at steps five and six and was also helping a step four club.”
Opportunity
Then came a call from Yateley, who had seen Adam Hopkins suddenly leave for Southern League Premier South club Bracknell Town, with a number of players following him to Bottom Meadow or going elsewhere.
Jordan was appointed just nine days before the new season kicked off.
“I had conversations with Richard (club chairman Pascoe), and I knew it was the opportunity I was looking for,” said the man who had won Football in Berkshire Manager’s top award earlier this year.
“They have a project and a plan here, and this is a place where I want to be long term. The club’s ambitions match my own as a manager. There are a lot of good people here, and we know there is a lot of hard work ahead to ultimately get to where we want to be in the future. I am here for the long term.”
Referring to the current season, Jordan commented: “The immediate aim is to stay in the league and build a team that is competitive in every game. We hope for a strong, stable season and see where we get to in our first time at this level.
“With several players leaving, we have had to rebuild, and that left a lot of work to do in what was a short pre-season for us. It meant we had to bring in players, and I am still looking to bring a few more in. We also have some very good youngsters at the club, and they will get their chances.
“We want players to come to Yateley for the right reasons.”
Assistant manager Andy Gleeson, head coach Cam Davies and goalkeeping coach Andy Walker followed Jordan from Woodley to Sean Devereux Park, joining coach Jack Prendiville, whom Jordan described as a “Yateley
guy through and through.”
They suffered an early-season blow when Nathan Connolly, who had scored six goals in nine games, returned to Cove, where he had enjoyed tremendous success in the past, netting more than 80 goals.
Since then, Yateley have struggled to find goals and finding a proven scorer must be high on Jordan’s want list.
They face a particularly tough test on Tuesday, October 13, when they travel to Barlows Park to take on a Tadley Calleva side that will be on a real high after their shock FA Cup third qualifying round 2-1 win over Step 3 Dartford.
It was an early-season FA Cup tie at Sean Devereux Park where Blake showed his generosity by putting £200 of his own money behind the bar for fans to enjoy a drink before the game with Alton.
He hopes ambitious Yateley will have something to celebrate by the end of the season.
