MANAGERIAL partnerships are few and far between in English football. There is not one currently in the top six tiers but, with Ashton United hosting Salford City at Hurst Cross on Tuesday evening, two of the division’s finest partnerships battle it out in the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League promotion chase.
Managers are renowned for ruling with an iron fist; a leader of men, rallying the troops in the dressing room and from the sideline. But how does it work at Ashton United given Paul Phillips – half of the duo – is the club’s goalkeeper? Quays News sat down the United pair to talk tactics, fall-outs, dressing room cliques and that play-off semi-final defeat to Tameside rivals Curzon Ashton at the end of last season…
As the pints were poured and the players began to congregate inside the clubhouse following yet another home win, Paul Phillips and Steve Halford were in a back room in discussion.
That isn’t uncommon for the pairing; non-league football management “consumes your life” I was continually told during our extensive chat. Halford was bold and brash when he said:
It’s 24/7 and we don’t get the rewards of full-time football but we wouldn’t do it if we didn’t love it.
Salford City, the club thrust into the spotlight following the Class of ’92 ownership, provide the opposition on Tuesday evening. Bernard Morley and Anthony Johnson are close friends of Halford and Phillips but both sets of managers know that losing simply isn’t an option.
A budget to oust any other team in the division, Salford City have enjoyed a magical FA Cup run which saw them reach the second round proper as they forced Ronnie Moore’s Hartlepool United to a replay, which was something the United pair were pleased to see.
Halford admitted: “We are all good friends and I’m really made up for them with what they did in the FA Cup. Do we wish it was us? Course we do but they are a great example of what you can achieve at this level.
“Most importantly though, we are better looking than those Salford lads!”
“They are very similar to us in that they simply hate losing,” said Phillips.
“They’ve been called bullies but it’s not that at all it’s principles that they abide by and all managers will tell you that.
“We know what we are good at and we hope Ashton United are the underdogs that achieve something this season.”
It has been another impressive campaign for the Robins and, with a hatful of games to go, they once again find themselves involved in a play-off battle.
Last season they were knocked out of the play-offs at the semi-final stage in front of their own supporters to local rivals Curzon Ashton. The game was an even affair and was separated by a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes of football.
But did Phillips or Halford ever consider walking away after such a disappointment?
“No,” said Halford, without even a moment’s consideration.
Phillips was somewhat more open about his emotions after the play-off exit.
“I didn’t speak to anyone for about two weeks.
“I never thought about walking away but it’s taken us a while to get over it. It was a right kick in the teeth given Curzon of all teams went up.”
What was particularly apparent during the interview was that the relationship between Halford and Phillips goes beyond the touchline and the dressing room.
A genuine friendship exists and that has filtered throughout the club to create the family atmosphere that often encapsulates the atmosphere at Hurst Cross.
Phillips admitted: “We speak more or less every day, depending on how things are going. No matter what club we are at we always get the lads to socialise and it becomes a better place to be.”
Halford echoed the sentiments and claimed Phillips has been called his “second husband” such is the regularity of their phone calls and meetings.
“They’ll be times I make a mistake or he makes a mistake. I know the two Salford lads and they are the same. To have a decent relationship as a joint manager you’ve got to have a lot of trust.
“The main thing for us is the respect between us. When I speak he won’t interrupt and vice-versa. You’ve got to be friends off the pitch, otherwise it won’t work.”
With the smallest average home attendance in the Evo-Stik Premier Division, few would have expected such a rise since the duo took charge of the club.
Sat down in front of 15 Ashton United directors at the interview stage, the message from the pair was clear: let’s go and win the league; a response that brought laughter in the room.
One man who certainly wasn’t laughing that day was Halford.
What’s funny I said? If we don’t win the league then we’ll get the play-offs and we’ve done that in the last few seasons
“We’ve raised this club’s level no disrespect. We have one of the lowest attendances in this league but we keep trying to kick on and achieve the best we can. We want to win and mediocrity just isn’t in our vocabulary.”
Phillips, a deadly silent character as Halford explains the club’s aims and objectives, continues to sing from the same hymn sheet.
“They were happy to tread water before us but now we have serious ambition and what’s to stop us going up?”
Celebrating the win in the clubhouse was Adam Morning, a United player that also played under Morley and Johnson at Salford City, who spoke of the winning mentality both sets of managers give the players.
And when asked if there was a good cop/bad cop routine at Hurst Cross…
“Both bad cops! The Salford lads are the same. People say there is good and bad but these are the type of managers that get you going.
“They aren’t bad guys they just want to win more than most. They pump you up and it means something to them which is perfect I think.”
In a direct and assertive style, I posed to Halford whether he would consider replacing Phillips in goal in a ruthless style manager decision?
“Look I’m his biggest critic because I’m as honest as they come,” he confessed.
“Last season he cost us a few points and he asked me was it time to knock it on the head and if he wasn’t good enough I’d tell him.
“I told him he still had what it takes because he’s a good keeper with bags of experience. If that changes I wouldn’t hesitate to look for someone else. He’ll be the first himself anyway to admit he’s not doing the business.
“Sometimes he won’t like what I say and I don’t like what he says but we both take it.”
Phillips became as animated as he had been all interview with his place thrown into doubt to test the resolve of the managers.
“Look, I’ll still make a mistake, that’s always going to happen, but I’ll use my experience to get these lads through. If I’m 37, 47, 57 I’ll keep going if I feel I have something to offer.”
With a handful of games to go and the interview winding down to a close there was one final question…do managerial partnerships work?
“I think it works,” claimed Phillips.
“Once I cross the white line Steven is the manager and I’m the player. He’s the eyes and ears off the pitch and I think it works here at Ashton.”
With Ashton United and Salford City both flying high in a bid to reach the Vanarama National League North in 2016/17, managerial partnerships are succeeding in climbing the divisional ladder.
With Blyth Spartans edging closer to title glory it looks like only one set of managers will be enjoying their pint in a few weeks time and despite scoffing at that meeting, the Ashton United directors will know in Phillips and Halford, they have a real chance of promotion.
By Nathan Salt
@NathSalt1
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