Myers 'heartbroken' by Blyth Spartans plight - but insists there is light at the end of the tunnel

Blyth Spartans interim manager Colin Myers has expressed his heartbreak over the current situation at the Northern Premier League club - but insisted the hard work going on behind the scenes can lead to a brighter future at Croft Park.

A recent 3-1 home defeat against Warrington Rylands means Spartans have now suffered successive relegations and have dropped from the National League North into step four of the non-league pyramid inside two years. That is all a far contrast from Myers’ previous spell at Croft Park when he was part of the management team that led Spartans to the third round of the FA Cup during the 2014/15 season after securing wins against the likes of Darlington, Altrincham and, most famously, Hartlepool United.

The remarkable run was brought to an end at the third round stage on a day when club legend Robbie Dale threatened to write another chapter into his Spartans story by firing his side into a two-goal lead against then-Championship club Birmingham City. The Blues turned the game on its head after half-time and brought a heartbreaking end to Spartans run as they claimed a fourth round tie against Premier League club West Bromwich Albion.

From what were the highest of highs, Myers is now seeing the lowest of lows as he prepares to take temporary charge following the departure of former manager Michael Connor earlier this week. However, the former Consett manager was keen to take a positive stance and has revealed the fight to get the club moving forwards has already begun at all levels within Croft Park.

“It breaks my heart to see where the club is now to be honest,” he told The Gazette. “I’ve seen it at its very best when I was here during that cup run and I guess it’s now at its worst given where we are in the table and the current situation. So the contrast is huge. However, what I will say is there are a lot of people working day and night at the club to try and get it back on to an even keel and stop the problems they’ve been having. A lot of people don’t see how hard people are working behind the scenes and that is offering me a glimmer of hope and some light at the end of the tunnel. The work is non-stop and that will continue no matter what.”

The process to recruit a new manager officially got underway this week when Spartans revealed details of what they are looking for in potential successors to Connor. However, there are a number of other decisions to take place across the club and a new look squad will need to be recruited as Spartans prepare for the challenges that lie in wait in the fourth tier of the non-league game.

Myers has warned of how severe those challenges will be and stressed just how important the coming months could be for the club’s long-term future.

“It’s all about stability and if people think they are going to drop down a level, be the best team by millions and have a god-given right to come straight back up, just have a look at this season and see what has happened. This is the most important summer in the club’s history. The division the club will go into is tough, it’s a different type of football, more direct, and you need a strong team and strong characters to deal with that.

“This is something new to the club because they are at the level for the first time in a long time so they need to make changes to adapt to what is coming. The decisions made over the summer will have a huge impact on the club for years to come now.”

The drop into the Northern Premier League East Division could see Spartans competing alongside as many as eight other North East clubs as the progress of former Northern League clubs continues to gather pace. That number could well decrease depending on the success of Dunston UTS and Newton Aycliffe’s promotion pushes and Ashington and Heaton Stannington’s battle against relegation back into step five.

With a completely new squad required at Croft Park during the summer, competition for potential signings is likely to be strong - but Myers is adamant players will still want to wear the famous green and white and insisted the club can move forwards after a difficult time.

He said: “The pool of players that can be signed is shrinking because there are more clubs in for them and there might be doubt over what’s happening at the club from possible signings. But what I’ll say is Blyth Spartans is still one of the biggest non-league clubs in the North East and we are working hard to turn it around. It’s a big honour to play and manager Blyth Spartans and if things go well in the summer, there is no reason things can’t start moving forward again.”

With plans for the summer and beyond being formulated behind the scenes, Myers and Forrest are focusing on on-field matters and trying to piece together a positive end to what has been a horror season at Croft Park. Saturday’s trip to Hyde will provide another tough challenge for a young Spartans side - but Myers has stressed he was keen to ‘focus on the positives’ throughout the preparations and is hopeful that can pay off at Ewen Fields.

He said: “We are trying to pick the positives out of everything we are trying to do and we are trying to put changes in. We are trying to change a few structures and make it a more positive environment for the players to be in because it hasn’t been great for them or the club. The confidence is low so we are trying to lift them to try and win a game because that would change everything.

“We are working hard on team shape, atmosphere and trying to get them playing with a smile on their faces. The mood hasn’t been great, understandably, so we are just working on focusing on the positives to try and get something between now and the end of the season, when all of the hard work will really start.”

Myers has confirmed Billy Gordon and Harry Gardiner will miss Saturday’s game.

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