Abbey Hey manager Hincks keeping his young squad grounded despite lofty ambitions
Wed 8th December 2021 | Abbey Hey | By Alex Thrower
Abbey Hey boss Terry Hincks has admitted that he doesn’t pay much attention to the league table, instead focusing on ‘staying even minded’ and ‘taking every game as it comes’.
The former Mossley manager’s side currently sit 3rd in the First Division South and won their most recent fixture, a visit to Maine Road, 4-0. Before that, however, the Manchester club dropped points in consecutive home games, first drawing 2-2 with Cheadle Town, before falling to a 2-1 defeat against Cheadle Heath Nomads. Hincks was quick to address these games, telling The NWCFL:
“We made some silly mistakes at the back in both games and have to hold our hands up to that. The game against Cheadle Heath (Nomads) was frustrating because it felt like they only had two or three shots and we had about a dozen and still lost.
“We were disappointed to drop points, of course, but hopefully it won’t have an affect come the end of the season. All the sides near the top will go through bad patches of form, I try not to look at the table or other teams’ results, I actually only find out from the players or yourselves on the media side about where we are. Maine Road was a lot better, a great result in awful weather. It was by far the coldest I’ve been at a game in all my years of managing.”
Hincks will be hoping those kinds of performances will continue throughout the festive period, as his side travel to second-placed New Mills on the 14th December before a trip to current leaders West Didsbury & Chorlton early in the new year. But he has confessed that these aren’t the games that make him nervous.
“The New Mills and West Didsbury & Chorlton games aren’t the ones that worry me,” he continued.
“I know the young players in the squad will be up for those and treat them like a cup final, they’ll be really on it for games like that. It’s the fixtures against sides that aren’t at the top right now concern me because that’s when good form can sometimes turn in to complacency.
“I repeat it in every training session and after each match- the players must think I’m incredibly boring- but every game we have to be switched on and take each one as it comes.”
Having a young squad presents its own challenges, but when Hincks joined Abbey Hey in the summer of 2019, they were almost entirely without a squad at all having been relegated from the Premier Division after a disappointing season. He added.
“When I came in, I think we only kept hold of one player, the keeper Ross Heywood, as that team was set up as a Premier Division side. It’s a challenge, but I’ve always had connections here and I’m enjoying it. The first season was a rebuilding year, we were fifth when the first lockdown happened and then the second season got curtailed quite early.
“But we’ve kept near enough everyone from before and enhanced the squad with a bit more experience. With this season so far going all to plan, Hincks finished by making clear what his ambition has been from the beginning but has also recognised where his side need to improve if they wish to achieve this. He finished:
“Our home form has been a bit sporadic; we’ve actually picked up more points away from home. We’ve had some issues with our pitch and when we want to get the ball down and play, that’s made it difficult.
“Our aim at the beginning of the season was to win and until it’s impossible for us to do that, that will be our target. There’s absolutely no reason, if we keep taking it game by game, why we can’t be top come May.”
Abbey Hey manager Hincks keeping his young squad grounded despite lofty ambitions
Wed 8th December 2021 | Abbey Hey
By Alex Thrower
Abbey Hey boss Terry Hincks has admitted that he doesn’t pay much attention to the league table, instead focusing on ‘staying even minded’ and ‘taking every game as it comes’.
The former Mossley manager’s side currently sit 3rd in the First Division South and won their most recent fixture, a visit to Maine Road, 4-0. Before that, however, the Manchester club dropped points in consecutive home games, first drawing 2-2 with Cheadle Town, before falling to a 2-1 defeat against Cheadle Heath Nomads. Hincks was quick to address these games, telling The NWCFL:
“We made some silly mistakes at the back in both games and have to hold our hands up to that. The game against Cheadle Heath (Nomads) was frustrating because it felt like they only had two or three shots and we had about a dozen and still lost.
“We were disappointed to drop points, of course, but hopefully it won’t have an affect come the end of the season. All the sides near the top will go through bad patches of form, I try not to look at the table or other teams’ results, I actually only find out from the players or yourselves on the media side about where we are. Maine Road was a lot better, a great result in awful weather. It was by far the coldest I’ve been at a game in all my years of managing.”
Hincks will be hoping those kinds of performances will continue throughout the festive period, as his side travel to second-placed New Mills on the 14th December before a trip to current leaders West Didsbury & Chorlton early in the new year. But he has confessed that these aren’t the games that make him nervous.
“The New Mills and West Didsbury & Chorlton games aren’t the ones that worry me,” he continued.
“I know the young players in the squad will be up for those and treat them like a cup final, they’ll be really on it for games like that. It’s the fixtures against sides that aren’t at the top right now concern me because that’s when good form can sometimes turn in to complacency.
“I repeat it in every training session and after each match- the players must think I’m incredibly boring- but every game we have to be switched on and take each one as it comes.”
Having a young squad presents its own challenges, but when Hincks joined Abbey Hey in the summer of 2019, they were almost entirely without a squad at all having been relegated from the Premier Division after a disappointing season. He added.
“When I came in, I think we only kept hold of one player, the keeper Ross Heywood, as that team was set up as a Premier Division side. It’s a challenge, but I’ve always had connections here and I’m enjoying it. The first season was a rebuilding year, we were fifth when the first lockdown happened and then the second season got curtailed quite early.
“But we’ve kept near enough everyone from before and enhanced the squad with a bit more experience. With this season so far going all to plan, Hincks finished by making clear what his ambition has been from the beginning but has also recognised where his side need to improve if they wish to achieve this. He finished:
“Our home form has been a bit sporadic; we’ve actually picked up more points away from home. We’ve had some issues with our pitch and when we want to get the ball down and play, that’s made it difficult.
“Our aim at the beginning of the season was to win and until it’s impossible for us to do that, that will be our target. There’s absolutely no reason, if we keep taking it game by game, why we can’t be top come May.”
