Joint first-team manager Paul Oddy has lifted the lid on the recent troubles at Woodford United.
The Reds currently sit bottom of the Southern League Division One Central after losing all 13 of their games this season, scoring just three goals and conceding 39 in the process.
They have already seen two managers depart this season, with Phil Mason, who was in his 10th season at the club, sacked by email.
And his replacement, former professional footballer and ex-Woodford striker, Howard Forinton didn’t last long as he failed to adhere to the club’s youth development policy.
That led to Oddy and close friend Pete Harris being ‘thrown in at the deep end’ and the club’s on-pitch troubles have continued.
The duo had been in charge of Woodford’s under 16 and under 18 sides respectively, enjoying success.
But their task has just become a lot harder with the addition of first-team duties to their respective roles.
“We’ve done three games now,” said Oddy, “ and we’ve really been thrown in at the deep end.
“I only got a couple of days’ notice before the first game and the budget was cut when the two guys (Forinton and his assistant Simon Rea) left the club.
“Howard Forinton was in position for eight or nine games but didn’t get a point.
“(Chairman) Andy Worrall was really looking forward to him coming in but though he and Simon Rea had experience of playing professionally, they had never managed.
“It was a new challenge for them but it didn’t work out and I don’t think they realised how hard it was going to be.”
Forinton was tasked with developing the club’s young players, who have enjoyed success at youth level, with some of them earning recognition at county level.
But as Oddy reveals, the former Peterborough United frontman took a different approach to the job.
“The agreement was when they took over that they would be using some of the youth-team players but they just brought in their own players from the Banbury area.
“If you’re going to do that and paying out the money they were, you’ve got to be getting results and they weren’t.
“I didn’t have a lot to do with him (Forinton) because the first team didn’t want to involve themselves with the rest of the club.”
So where does the club go from here?
Oddy says he and Harris will remain in charge until the end of the calendar year, but beyond that the future is uncertain.
“I’ve taken it on a temporary basis and we’re looking at seeing where we are at the end of the year, not the end of the season.
“I think we will be doing it then but it’s a difficult time in non-league. A lot of clubs are struggling and Woodford are one of them.
“We’re still only four points adrift of safety and we have to treat it as a mini-league down at the bottom.
“We’ve got a chance of survival and I’m sure we can do it.”
Woodford will be aiming to break their league duck tomorrow (Sat) when they entertaon Chalfont St Peter (ko 3pm)
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