Gary Hackett looking ahead to Stourbridge future
Crestfallen boss Gary Hackett shared in the pain of Stourbridge supporters after Saturday’s play-off defeat but insisted: “There will be more highs to come.”
The curtain came down on a memorable campaign but also Stour’s promotion dream with a 1-0 defeat at Spennymoor Town.
Hopes had been high among a growing fanbase, inspired by the club’s continued FA Cup exploits, of a return to the second tier of non-league football after a wait of 33 years but Hackett was adamant the journey would continue.
“There has to be expectation and of course, you feel that,” he said. “To be honest, I would not be managing this club if there was no expectation.
“After the final game of last season, I said we needed to improve on finishing sixth. We have finished third and got to the third round of the FA Cup having previously got to the second.
“There is that improvement. We were just unable to get over the line in a one-off shoot-out. There has to be time where there is a levelling-out period but I don’t believe the club is at that stage yet.
“Now is not the time to be talking about next season. I need to sit down with the rest of the management team, reflect and then make decisions.
“With 20 minutes to go, we could have been talking totally differently and that’s football. That’s why we all have that love-hate relationship with it.
“We came so close and we all know the difficulties we experienced after the Wycombe game in terms of players moving on to pastures new.
“I firmly believe it has been a fantastic achievement to finish in the top three. One thing is without doubt, this club is moving in the right direction.”
Magnanimous Hackett admitted the Moors had deserved their victory but felt referee Leigh Doughty had missed a handball by scorer Rob Ramshaw in the build-up to the decisive strike.
“We all felt it was handball and I thought the referee was in a good position,” said Hackett. “I felt he officiated pretty poorly, there was a lot of man-handling going on and he seemed to let it all go.
“At times, they were wrestling with (Luke) Benbow and (Jordan) Archer and how they were not fouls when they had grabbed people around the neck I will never know.”
