Ben can help turn team into club again as Wickens embarks on Newbury rebuild
Newbury’s Ben Wickens is confident he can steer his side to success ahead of his first full season at the helm of the club.
Wickens was brought into the club by Nic Voller prior to last season to help work on the squad's fitness.
However when Danny Langford stepped down midway through the campaign, Wickens found himself taking on more responsibilities in a joint management role alongside the experience of Nic Voller, guiding Newbury to the Hellenic League Division 2 East title with a 100 per cent record.
It's been a difficult few years for Newbury, with the club being forced from their now vacant Faraday Road home and playing their football last season some distance from the town in Lambourn.
There are more changes on the horizon - and some have the potential to be hugely positive - with the new Liberal Democrat council hoping to bring football back to Faraday Road and the club working with the Newbury Community Group in the hope of returning to their former ground.
In the meantime, Wickens and his side will at least be closer to the town this term, with the club set to switch to the Thames Valley League and ply their trade on the pitches at Henwick.
The not inconsiderable task for Wickens then will be to focus on the football, with the 31-year-old having spent his first summer in charge building a competitive squad and bringing in a number of coaches to help him as he continues to adjust to life in the hot seat.
"Last season was great, I came in to help the lads get fit in pre-season," he said.
"Having played for Newbury in the past, I was desperate to help the club get back to where it belongs and it all sort of fell into place in the end.
"Winning 20 out of 20 in the league, it was a perfect season."
Wickens is still young enough to be playing and hasn't ruled out a return but, while he will have to take time to build up coaching experience, feels his age helps him when it comes to forming relationships with his squad.
He said: "It worked really well.
"I've got some close relationships with the players, as mates but also as a coach, and I think that really helped.
"We found that balance, we had a laugh beforehand but as soon as the time came, we were able to be as serious and focused as we needed to be.
"There has to be a line, we can have a laugh but the atmosphere has to be right when we're warming up and playing."
With Langford's sudden departure last season, Wickens and Nic Voller found themselves making their first serious foray into coaching without much support around them.
However Wickens has worked hard to rectify that, bringing in former player James O'Doherty and Steve Annetts, who had been coaching at Hungerford, to help him out as embarks on his fledgling career as a manager.
He said: "We were thrust into it a little bit.
"This year, we've got a really good and exciting coaching line-up.
"James is a really good friend of mine and has a really important and exciting role to play with some of the younger lads.
"Steve Annetts has come in and he's got some great pedigree and is a top coach.
"Nicky Voller has that shared experience from last season and we feel like we've got a really good platform to go on and have another successful season."
Newbury will start next season in the Thames Valley Premier League Division 1 and have –perhaps unsurprisingly – lost a number of last term's star performers, with captain Carl Jenner, top scorer George Armstrong, Jesse Bowers and Jake Allan all following Langford to his new side Kintbury.
However Wickens – likeable, down to earth and with a clear plan for the club’s future – and Voller have worked hard to rebuild the squad and are now in confident mood ahead of the beginning of the season later in the summer.
"At first, I think we thought it might be a bit of a nightmare because it was like starting again," Wickens said.
"The more we've thought about it and the more pre-season is ticking along, we're feeling really positive about it."
Off the pitch, developments are continuing to move at a fast albeit unpredictable pace, with new vice-chairman Ifor Sheldon working tirelessly behind the scenes while a committee has been established and regular meetings are being held to build firmer off-field foundations.
Newbury can also rely on the staunch support of veteran chairman Keith ‘Keggy’ Moss, whose unquestioning commitment remains at the heart of the club.
A number of local sponsors have also showed their support for the side, with Aquatic Canine Therapy providing new training equipment, and SuperDrive Academy sponsoring the man of the match award, while other sponsors include: All works Builders LTD, F2 Male image, Ave Cabs, LTH Flooring, Hexa Finance, Cutting Hedge Landscapes, Mark Alexander and JWS fitness and Welbeing.
Wickens said: "I think we're in the best place we've been for years.
"For a long time, we've been a football team but now a lot is being done behind the scenes to make us a football club again and that's our main aim.
"We're affiliated with the Berks and Bucks FA who are helping facilitate us becoming an FA chartered club again.
"It's a lot of little things we're hoping can make a big difference."
Having managed to keep hold of a handful of last season's contingent, including impressive goalkeeper Ben Morton and the ever-reliable Luke Polding, Wickens had added the experienced Carl Self, local lads Joe McQuilkin and George Mowat as well as Thatcham Town's Jacob Wallace.
Wallace, who scored in Newbury's pre-season opener, a 4-3 win over Overton on Saturday, scored 31 goals in 18 games for Thatcham's under-18s last term and Wickens is hoping he'll be able to make a big impact as he looks to gain experience of men’s football.
"We hope Jacob’s move can benefit him and both clubs," he said.
"We lost 10 or 11 from last season's squad so it's been quite a big chunk to replace.
"Jacob's been training with Thatcham's first team and, while we won't put pressure on the lad, we're really excited to see what he can do for us."
With the new season fast approaching, Wickens has big plans as he hopes to not only lead new-look Newbury to another title challenge next term but to propel the side up the leagues in the next three years.
He said: "We've set out plans and we're quite ambitious.
"We're building a squad to win the league in our first season, no messing around.
"We want to earn our place in the top division and establish ourselves in that.
"We've got a three year plan in place that hopefully ends with us winning the Thames Valley Premier League and getting promoted to Step 6.
"We'd also like to get back into Faraday Road if we can, so we're hoping there are some really exciting times ahead."
