Outgoing chairman Chambers looks back on four years at the Hungerford Town helm
Outgoing Hungerford Town chairman Patrick Chambers has said he’ll look back on his time at Bulpit Lane with fond memories.
Chambers and his wife Nicky, who as commercial manager vastly improved fan experience and curated the Bulpit Beast, renowned as one of the best burgers in non-league, are making the switch from the Crusaders to National League North outfit Gloucester City.
The husband and wife duo have enjoyed four successful seasons at Bulpit Lane, leading the club to their second highest finish – 12th – in the club’s history last season.
However their tenure ended in disappointment, with the Crusaders relegated to the Southern Premier League, ending an eight-year stay in the National League South.
Despite a long and hard final season at the helm, Chambers admits he has no regrets about his time in the Bulpit Lane hot seat.
“We put our heart and soul into it,” he said.
“Obviously, the first couple of weeks after a relegation you feel incredibly flat.
“We thought about everything we could’ve done better, we know we made some mistakes with the recruitment.
“But we gave it our all and I think that’s important.”
Chambers is renowned for having had a close relationship with Crusaders boss Danny Robinson, who put pen to paper on a new deal at Bulpit Lane last week.
Chambers was full of praise for Robinson, and hopes he will learn from his hardest season in management to date.
He said: “I think, actually, it might do him some good.
“He’s never suffered a relegation before, he’s never really been in a relegation battle.
“It’s going to happen to every manager at some point in their career.
“I think it’ll make him stronger, he’ll dust himself off and come back stronger.
“I believe he’ll have a competitive budget at the level and that could be really interesting.
“I’ve always had a great relationship with Danny, it’s been a pleasure.
“I remember when we interviewed him, I knew almost immediately that he was the right man for Hungerford Town.
“At the time it was a little bit of a punt, he’d been promoted with Thatcham and won the Vase.
“I liked the thought of backing a young manager and everything he said to me convinced me he was the right one, and he was.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better man to lead the team.”
Despite last season’s relegation, the Chambers’ time in charge has involved far more good times than bad.
The club’s matchday experience has gone from strength to strength, with the Bulpit Beast tantalising tastebuds and the innovative Four for Score offer helping to increase crowds from around 150 to upwards of 400.
On the pitch, the club attracted the likes of Ryan Seager, who scored 41 goals in 59 games, and made some wonderful memories at lofty heights.
On Saturday afternoons, the club becomes the heartbeat of Hungerford, transforming the sleepy town, famous – as the fans like to sing – for antiques and grannies, into a hive of activity and excitement for an hour and a half.
“We’ve worked really hard on creating a community club, and Danny’s played a big part in that as well," Chambers said.
“We’ve tried to get the junior facets of the club involved on matchdays, we’ve attracted families and we’ve seen the attendances go up and up.
“Even this season, when we’ve spent the whole time at the bottom of the league, we’ve seen attendances hold up and that’s really encouraging.
“I think it’s become a bit of a community hub and it feels like it’s one club, from the top to the bottom.”
Perhaps Patrick and Nicky’s biggest achievement is providing financial stability to Hungerford which, given the club’s relatively small attendances, is no easy task.
Chambers said: “I think we’ve made the club, financially, a lot more sustainable.
“When we took over the club we were always overdrawn, we were having to make decisions on who we were able to pay each week.
“There’s a strong group of people there now who will look after the club well, they’re in safe hands and we absolutely wish them all the best.”
The Chambers duo now face a new and exciting – albeit no less difficult and daunting – challenge with Gloucester City.
The National League North club have racked up considerable debts – Chambers says the club had been losing £30,000 a month – but went within a whisker of promotion to the National League, losing out on penalties in the play-offs.
One of the first decisions the pair took was to transition the formerly full-time outfit to part-time status, resulting in the departure of well-regarded manager Steven King.
Similarly to their stint at Bulpit Lane, Chambers says his first priority is to ensure the club’s financial viability and thus its survival, while recruiting a squad that remains competitive despite a reduced budget.
He said: “We know we’ve got a tough job on our hands, but I think we’ve proven we know how to run a football club.
“Gloucester’s the largest English city to never have had a Football League club, the potential is huge.
“The population is 160,000 and the crowds are averaging around 900.
“We can’t get ahead of ourselves, we’ve got to be sustainable.
“We won’t underestimate it but we're confident we can make a real success of it, manage the finances and attract the best local players.
“While we’re there, we’ll always be looking out for Hungerford, I hope we can get back there to watch a couple of matches next season.
“We’ll miss it, without a doubt.”
