Toolstation NCEL Premier Division
Serial winner Mark Pitts hopes and he and fellow joint manager Simon Portrey can finally bring stability to Goole AFC.
Stability and Goole AFC are not words which are usually used in the same sentence.
Former Carlton Athletic chief Pitts – one of the most successful Step 7 bosses in recent memory who could be the first new manager in the country to be appointed whilst in self-isolation following a positive Covid-19 test – and Portrey are the club’s 15th managerial team in just seven years.
Les Nelson and Lutel James began the campaign in charge, but they have both moved on and their assistants Pitts and Portrey have stepped up.
“It does look a bit of a revolving door, but I can’t speak for the previous regimes that have been here,” Pitts told Non League Yorkshire.
“I think it is common knowledge there’s been problems with the ground and the ownership, Goole Council and the CIC, but I stay out of that and concentrate on football. There’s a lot of clubs, not just in Non League, but in the pro leagues, that just like changing managers.
“I think some people see it as is the easy answer, but I’ve always being a believer in being settled; get a settled side and build good family stability where you all stick together. It is not going to happen overnight because you don’t get instant success unless you have a big pot of money.
“Mid-table is where the target is for this season and we’d like to finish around there. We know it is going to be tough, but that’s what we are going to be striving for – starting this week with two nice easy games against Liversedge and Yorkshire Amateur! You could not have scripted the first two games and we couldn’t have got a harder start than those two.
“I don’t think we need to heavily recruit. We are short in a few areas which we’ve spoken about and we are going to try and bring a couple in to strengthen. The problem we have got at the moment is that we have had a couple of injuries which have taken longer to heal and it is typical that are key players.
“We lost Anees Younis and Jaydan Sandhu to two nasty injuries. They are on their way back and I think one of them will be back for this weekend. Obviously injuries, suspensions, Covid problems have mounted up so it has been a little tough for the few weeks in terms of personnel.
“Losing Reggie (Waud) was a blow, but he’s 19-year-old and he’s got eight goals in opening five games. He’s a talented player and great lad and going to Ossett United is a big opportunity as it is a league higher. You can’t hold people back. It is part and parcel of the game.”
Goole are one of several clubs who have been affected by Covid-19. Pitts and several players tested positive for the virus and that caused their most recent fixtures to be postponed.
Pitts, 44, was badly affected by the virus and he would not be surprised if the Non League season is halted in the coming weeks.
“It is a difficult one to answer because football is a massive part of people’s lives, especially supporters,” he said.
“We all want to get away from the missus on a weekend and vice versa, I think some of the women want to get away from the men! It is a massive thing for people and I know people talk about the mental health aspect. To take it away now, can it get anymore depressing?
“I’m just getting over Covid myself believe it or not. I tested positive for it last week and I finish my isolation today. I’m feeling a lot better now and the symptoms have gone. I was poorly. For four days I couldn’t get out of bed. It is not nice. I know some people are getting it and are hardly getting any symptoms, but I had every part of it basically. The worst thing was the fever and the headaches. The headaches were horrific.
“In terms of stopping football I don’t think they should stop it, but I think they probably will have to with the way things are evolving. Before the first lockdown in March, I didn’t know anyone who I had got it. Now I know loads of people who I have had it and it is spreading like wildfire.
“My heart says no don’t stop it, but in my head I think they will and put a temporary stop on it until they get the numbers down or the ‘r’ rate back down.
“Then the season will start back up again. I don’t think they’ll do what they did at the end of last season. I hope they don’t because it wasn’t nice for a lot of clubs who were in promotion or title-winning positions.”
Pitts originally arrived at Goole as an assistant to Nelson and James and he admits he did not envisage being the main man with ex-Ipswich Town professional Portrey.
“It came about quickly with Les going off to do his new role and Lutel being there for a few more weeks,” he said.
“After the Warrington game he said he would be stepping away from it as he wanted to work on other things like the Caribbean recruitment. He said he was really busy with that, but would back us with recruitment.
“The club asked me and Simon to step in and take it on and it is a great opportunity and great chance for anyone at this level of football. It is a massive opportunity because it is a big club with a lot of history. It is a chance for us to show what we can do and we will do that.
“For me I’m really proud for myself and Simon and that we are getting an opportunity because the chairman could have quite easily gone ‘look lads, they’ve gone, you have to go as well and we’re going to get someone else in’.
“For him to give us the opportunity we can only be thankful. It is great experience. I’ve been around the game at West Yorkshire League level, but I’m a fish out of water at this level, it is a a different ball game. I didn’t really expect it to land how it has done (with Goole). But I feel I have managed in the West Yorkshire League long enough and I feel confident enough to step up to do it.”
Goole fans can be assured that they have two very successful managers at the helm. The pair originally won countless pieces of silverware years ago in their management days before parting ways.
Pitts then made his name in recent years during his glory-laden spell with West Yorkshire League giants Carlton Athletic which ended last year.
“Myself and Simon started together managing about 15 years ago, just doing local football so we have known each other a long time,” he said.
“We first worked together when we managing in the Wakefield League and it was a team called Bar Stanley. It was proper Dog and Duck so to speak, but you’ve got to start somewhere.
“We had success and we were approached to go to Rothwell who were starting a senior men’s team. We got into the West Yorkshire League Division Two and we got back-to-back promotions to get into the Premier Division.
“We then went our separate ways. Simon went to Aberford and I went to Carlton Athletic. When I went there they had been relegated to Division One (from the West Yorkshire League) and we got promotion in the first season.
“The first season back in the Premier we were on to win everything as I recruited some really good players. Quite a few of them are playing Non League now.
“We reached the County Cup final, the League Cup final and got pipped to the league by Beeston, but we won the Leeds and District Cup. The following season we won the treble, the league, County Cup, the League Cup.
“The following season we won the double by winning the league and the Leeds and District Cup. In the last season I was there we did the treble again as we won the District Cup, County Cup and the league. We won ten trophies in five years.”
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