Ahead of tomorrow’s season opener, away to Needham Market, manager Tim Flowers has talked about the opposition and the size of the task at hand. He starts with reflections on the changes at the club over the summer…
There’s been a huge turnaround at the club – on and off the field, and nobody can get past that. It’s been loud on social media and it’s out there that we’ve signed some good players. Our ground has improved for the supporters’ experience and will continue do so. Everything about Bromsgrove Sporting is trying to be improved by everybody involved.
I’m trying my hardest to get together a competitive group of players and have spent all summer doing. Leon and my staff have been a huge help in negotiating with players and getting them over the line.
I don’t think there’s enough numbers in the squad – we only need to have a few injuries and we’ll be short. But there’s a good quality amongst the group and a good spirit – over this season, when fit and firing, they’ll achieve better things than we have done.
I really want the supporters to come and enjoy the way we’re playing. I know we had around 600 against Hereford, in a game where had several great chances to score, and for the first time in pre-season we missed those chances.
We will gradually get better and nobody wins anything in August/September/October. I understand football – I’m getting on a bit and have been in it a long time – I’ve been in poor teams and good teams. I know what good teams do and what they have in their dressing room – we’ve got that and we’ve got characters. We’ve got a good mixture and ultimately, we’ve got a group that want to win football matches. We aren’t going to win them all but we want to win enough to make us competitive and also to try and get a club of our size where we should be.
I read a lot and listen a lot to people saying we’re the biggest, we’re this and we’re that. To that, I say this – we’ll see. It’s a long old season and Saturday won’t define it. Do I want to win? Yes. And Tuesday? Yes, And the Saturday after? Yes – and we’re setting up to do so. The season will evolve – and everybody is in alignment at the football club about what we need to do.
In terms of Needham, two years ago they got promoted to the National North and most of those players who achieved that are still there – they’ve added some to it too and they’re a really competitive squad that just finished outside the play-offs last year.
It’s a really tough opening game and I’ve got no qualms about it – it will examine us. We had them watched against Colchester U21s and I know what happened when they played King’s Lynn recently – that day they had loads missing, who I fully expect to be back and I expect them to be full strength. They don’t concede goals and they’re always at the top end of the division. We couldn’t have had a much harder draw away from home, but it’s good to get the journeys early doors before the winter.
Back to back home games come after that and I’d love to see 1,000 people on Tuesday night against Rushall – I really would – and hope they buy into what we’re trying to do. The more supporters that come through the door, the more opportunity I will have to bring players in and the more the football club will grow.
We’re trying to grow that organically from within as well – by bringing younger players through and getting a structure in place; there’s things in process, from the youth teams to the first team – and it’s all under the same umbrella.
We were trying to survive last year, when players went missing and didn’t want to be here and it was toxic if I’m honest. Towards the end, we got some harmony, and that resulted in some big wins, especially in away matches. Our home record was awful and I’m aware of everything that goes with it, but the more people from Bromsgrove that come and watch their local team, the more I’ve got a chance of giving them a team that they really want to come and see.
