The Bootiful Game Issue 2 The Bootiful Game Issue 2 | Page 6

Stepping
from
Ownership
into
Management
Maltby Main boss Spencer
Fearn (pictured above
celebrating with Curtis
Woodhouse) says it has been a
summer of progress for his side
as he looks to ensure they can
progress in the NCEL Premier
this season, writes Thomas
Feaheny (@ThomasFeaheny).
Like most sides, the summer saw
plenty of ins and outs at the
Rotherham based club, but as
Fearn revealed the club have
made several alterations off the
pitch with the aim that it will help
the club
going
forward:
"There's
been a few
changes at
the club over
the summer,
we have put
a structure
in place,
with an
academy
and also a
reserve
team, we
have been
able to bring in people like Andy
McKnight who is an A licensed
coach, he has bags of experience,
coached all over the world, he is
someone I am learning off each
day, he is with me, he will do
things that I look at and think
yeah that will help the lads going
forward, that is what we need to do
and we have recruited well, we
have brought in a philosophy, we
didn't want the lads to play
Saturday for us then Sunday for
someone else, this has meant we
have lost a couple of the lads, we
want to be a proper non-league
club, we didn't want players to be
playing eighty games a season,
we want them to only focus on
Maltby Main, that will help us if
those players can give their all for
this club rather than having to think
about another side as well."
It has not just been personnel that
has changed for the club, with the
pre-match sessions being
altered with inspiration being taken
from a famous head coach who
has managed some of the biggest
teams and countries: "We have
developed a training method that
is called periodization, which is
Left: Spencer when he was owner of East Stirling
06 @TheBootifulGame Issue 02
used by people like Guus Hiddink,
it is something which is very
different to the other clubs, but we
are seeing the benefit of that and
when we get into the March and
April time, when we are playing a
lot of football we will really notice
the difference, we have 18 or 19
players who will be in the first team
and the aim is that they are always
gonna be fit and fresh. We have
got the lads in Nike gear so they
look good and they all have protein
shakes afterwards now, it doesn't
cost much but it means a lot to the
lads."
Maltby last season finished the
season in a good position and
Fearn thinks he knows the formula
that worked last season can be
reproduced for the 2016/17
season: "The good thing for us is
that we can finish mid-table, that is
alright, we finished seventh last
season that was great, but the
main thing is that the lads can
enjoy their football and that brings
a good benefit for me and
everyone involved, our dressing
room is not about egos, we are
built on working as a team."
This season yet again, the NCEL
Premier will be one of the toughest