An immediate return to Conference South would be great, says Tonbriddge Angels boss Steve McKimm

TONBRIDGE ANGELS manager Steve McKimm says it would be great if he can guide the club to an immediate return to Conference South at the end of his first season in charge.

McKimm, 38, took over from Tommy Warrilow after the club were relegated after three seasons in Conference South and will begin their Ryman Premier League campaign with a home game against Ryman League Division One North champions VCD Athletic on Saturday 9 August.

McKimm was player-coach at Conference South side Sutton United where he worked alongside boss Paul Doswell – and he insists he is ready for the challenges ahead at Longmead Stadium.

“I’ve done my apprenticeship at Sutton for six years and speaking to Paul Doswell he felt it was the right time,” said McKimm.

“I had my interview and I got the job on my own merits, I believe.  If I can just get my own ideas across and be my own person with the staff I’ve brought in, I’ll be very happy.

“It’s a challenge but it’s a challenge I’m looking forward to.  I’ve never shirked any responsibility in my playing career and I won’t do now.  I’m very much looking forward to the season ahead.”

McKimm has targeted the play-offs in his first season in charge.

“Listen, you don’t come into football without setting targets,” said McKimm, a London black cab driver. 

“Now I could say I want to finish tenth, but to me that shows no ambition as a manager. It shows no ambition for players.  I want to give them a goal to aim for. 

“As I’ve said before if it’s not feasible and we don’t make that, it won’t be for the want of trying. It won’t be for the lack of effort. It might be we don’t have enough quality or we don’t have enough luck.  Luck’s a big part in football.

“The players’ I’ve brought in, I think they’re all here to play for the club. They’re all here to play for me and they’re all here to prove a point to themselves at some point as well.

“If (reaching the play-offs) doesn’t work they all know it’s not the end of the world but you can go again next year.

“Yes, an immediate return to the Conference South would be great but you look all through football, to come out of a league that you’ve been relegated from, we’ll try our hardest. 

“We’ll give our maximum every game, every training session and at the end of 46 games we’ll see where it ends us up, but you’ve got to have targets, you have to have goals and my goal for this squad this year is to get into the play-offs.

“They’ll be under no pressure that they have to make that. Every fan, the board and me as a manager want that but if it doesn’t happen, it’s not life and death. We have to go again next year.

“There’s some good sides last year that were looking for that play-off berth that didn’t get it and there were a lot of teams looking for that second spot and didn’t get it and they’ll be licking their wounds a little bit.

“A lot of teams have strengthened.  People would expect us to go straight back up. If they sat down and spoke to me and the chairman about different bits and pieces they’ll know we might not have a chance to go straight back up but I tell you what, we’ll give it the best go possible.”

Margate, with an open cheque book it seems, are clear favorites to win the league title, but McKimm isn’t too fussed about that.

“It’s wrong for me to go into other teams budgets and stuff like that,” said the former Margate midfielder.

“All I have to concentrate on is the budget I have at Tonbridge Angels, the players’ I’ve brought in at Tonbridge Angels and the success that we’re trying to bring into Tonbridge Angels.

“Everybody else is irrelevant to me in terms of how much money they’ve got, how much money they send, who they can bring in. It doesn’t matter!

“You go out on that pitch, eleven-v-eleven, man-v-man and whoever’s the best on the day comes out winners and over the season, 46 games, whoever’s consistent enough deserves to be where they deserve to be at the end of the league.”

Meanwhile, the Angels lost 3-1 at home to League One Stevenage last night and entertain Ryman League Division One South side Ramsgate on Saturday (3pm).

Visit Tonbridge Angels’ website: www.tonbridgeangelsonline.co.uk