Newmarket Town manager Michael Shinn reflects on Isthmian League North Division survival after 1-1 draw at Concord Rangers
‘Absolutely massive’ – that was how Newmarket Town manager Michael Shinn could best sum up his side’s successful fight against the threat of relegation from the Isthmian League North Division.
Yesterday’s 1-1 draw at Concord Rangers – coupled with Haringey Borough playing out the same scoreline at Brightlingsea Regent – ensured that the Jockeys will once again be a Step 4 club next season.
It has been an up and down debut campaign at the level for Newmarket, who earned promotion last term via the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division play-offs.
They opened the campaign with a rude awakening against a Felixstowe & Walton United side that dished out a 6-1 hammering, and there were certain points when an immediate return to Step 5 looked to be on the cards. But a string of positive results – particularly after Christmas – has ultimately seen Shinn’s men keep their heads above water.
The boss said: “It’s massive. To get in this league and then stay in it, everyone you talk to – Felixstowe when they did it, Wroxham when they did it, Gorleston when they did it – they said the first season is the hardest one. You’ve just got to stay in there somehow.
“We found a way and that’s absolutely massive. It’s huge for the football club. With what we are and what we’re competing against, it’s huge.”
Shinn was keen to attribute the achievement to a collective effort – even from the players that have not always been first-choice picks in the starting line-up.
He added: “It’s moments throughout the season from players who have had a first-class attitudes. Like Tommy Williams when he came off the bench and scored with his first touch for us to win 3-2. Clinton Frank coming off the bench at Sporting Bengal and getting that (winning) goal.
“There’s been moments throughout the season where everyone has contributed, which is why we’ve managed to stay above that line.
“It’s been a lot of dedication from the boys, hard work, sticking to the task. There have been better teams than us this year, but most teams that we’ve played go away saying that we’re a good side and asking why we’re in the position we’re in.
“Yes we’ve been outplayed on a few occasions, but we always knew we were going to be. But ultimately we’ve stayed where we want to be.”
Shinn also took the time to reflect on how far the club has come in recent seasons.
The journey has not always been straightforward since he took charge in January 2018, but the number of fans that made the journey down to the Essex coasts suggests that they have certainly ‘come an incredibly long way’.
“I remember in my first season here when we went away to Great Yarmouth. We had a bare 11 and one Newmarket supporter behind the goal – Dave Turner. I remember him with his yellow and blue scarf,” he said.
“Today we’ve come away from home in the league above and we must have had 100 to 150 fans behind the goal supporting us. We’ve come an incredibly long way.”
