The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
New Pinchbeck United boss Lewis Thorogood insists that he’s up for the challenge of turning the club around after witnessing a heavy defeat in his first game in charge.
A hat-trick from Tendai Dare and a strike from Marshal Keenan – plus a Jack Brown own goal – handed the Knights a sound 5-0 beating against Lutterworth Town in the Uhlsport UCL Premier Division clash at the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field.
Ex-Spalding United boss Lewis Thorogood, who was appointed on Thursday after the sacking of Tom Crozier, admitted that he “wasn’t surprised” by what he saw in his first game.
He feels his side lacked fitness, need to be more physical and offered little threat going forward.
But he’s more than up for the task of turning 19th-placed Pinchbeck around.
“I’m obviously delighted to be back in football management,” said Thorogood, who managed the Tulips for 11 months. “I’m back at the same ground, but it’s a different environment for me.
“I’m relishing the challenge of turning the club’s fortunes around – you know from my Spalding days that I like a challenge!
“This is a club that needs restoring to its past glory as an up and coming side that always looks up.
“We need stability on and off the pitch, but I do need to make a lot of changes to the squad to achieve that.
“For my part, my recent history isn’t in the UCL and I’ll need time to learn the league and adjust too. There is a big task ahead, but I’m certainly not scared of it.”
Thorogood is perhaps one of a handful of managers that are grateful for the upcoming suspension of non-elite football.
After last night’s 4-0 loss at Boston Town, the Knights won’t play again until December at the earliest.
But the new Pinchbeck chief sees the lockdown period as a change for him to add new faces to his squad – and admits that he could have done with the Lutterworth and Boston games being off too.
“This lockdown is absolutely 100 per cent a good thing for me as a manager,” he added. “It gives me a chance to address the problem areas in the squad and make a few important changes.
“I could have done with the two games before the suspension being off too, but what can you do?
“I need to get a squad together that is capable of climbing the league and getting out of the predicament we find ourselves in.
“I don’t agree with the idea that football won’t return after 28 days, there’s no reason it shouldn’t.
“I think leagues like the UCL expected there to be at least one lockdown this season and there’s plenty of room for manoeuvre to complete the season.”
