A Cutthroat Season

Radstock Town boss, Ray Johnston, talks to Ian Nockolds on the Toolstation Western League Podcast about the Miners journey over the past season and explains why he thinks this could be a cut-throat season in the First Division, where a lot of teams will beat each other.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Well, I'm delighted to welcome backto the tool Station Western League Podcast Ray
Johnston, the manager of Red StockTown. Ray, thank you very much
for taking the time to speak tous. And that's three wins from three
games so far this season and quitea contrast to the way that you started
last season. You have to befair, the boys have started on fire.
But while they think they have,I got to keep banging on that

(00:23):
drum. They're trying to get intocalm down a little bit really because I
think they're a bit above their stations, some of them. So it's my
job to keep their feet on thefloor. But we've been pretty lucky in
some of the games. I thinkif you spoke to KaiA Portrazad and John
A Bristle telephones, I think bothof those managers will tell you that we
were really lucky to get the threepoints on that game. On those particular

(00:44):
games that they deserve more than theygot. So we just got to take
keep going one game at a time. We've got tucked in tomorrow Brisbington,
so that'll be a task and itmight end up bringing our lads to back
bangs where if you never know,But yeah, no, look there's nothing
bad can come of winning three gamesin the faint, So it's a much
better scenario than the start of lastseason. Your row. You know,

(01:07):
you had a hard start to yourtime at Radstock, but by Christmas you'd
managed to start to turn things around. And I'm wondering whether what we're seeing
now is a progression of the workthat you started back then. When we
first took over, we had likefour players about a week or two before
the start of the season, andyou know, we basically our starting lineups

(01:27):
consisted of anyone had a pair offootball boots and it was available, really
so, but as this as theseason went on, that we didn't we
didn't like wind and wine, abateit. We just got on with our
job, mixed it up with afew extra players, like just one here
and there, and then for theseason we've developed a really good squad into

(01:47):
We had a good tour at theend of the end of the season,
like a really well attended tour,and I think the togetherness that that brought
was you know, like, tobe honest, we we've so much time
with each other as a group.I think most of them are bad a
fitting Dutch. One of each other, but it has brought the team together
as a human. So what wasyour preseason like. Were you able to

(02:08):
bring any new faces in. Yeah, yeah, we we've brought in Adie
Harvey from him and Sudbury. We'vebrought in Dan Jackson after a year out
with a knee injury and goal.Sam Hill's a big one in center midfield,
and Jake Reader from Bishop Sutton oneof the one of the forwards.

(02:29):
So we bought a few in forme. The two main the main areas
we wanted to field was we wantedto get a goalkeeper that we we we
we We're really really fortunate and happyto get Dan Dan done. We got
that done really early. And wewanted to keep there was a handful of
players that we really really wanted tokeep, so that was that was our

(02:50):
main point of business. And infact we've got Sam Hill and ades On
perform as well. That's just likethat's just you know, an absolute bonus.
And those who really are on whyI can't I can't I can't bang
on that run literally about how wellthey played so Farina Sea and those two.
Yeah, really delighted with our recruitmentthis year. Every manager I'd tell
you they could do it one ortwo more, but you know that's just

(03:12):
every manager. Now. I sawyour game against Port's Head, and you
had to come from behind in thatgame. In fact, I felt you
were second best certainly in their inthe first forty five minutes. But you
really did pull it out the bagin the second half. So that must
have given you and the boys alot of confidence. Yeah, I mean
half time we went in and wesaid it half time. It was flat.

(03:35):
You know, it was so flat. I didn't even know, like
I didn't even know that team thatwe were playing. It was it was
just like they were up. Imean they went out on that Saturday before
and it was like that they wereon. It was like they were still
hungover. We were awful. Wemanaged to get back into the game and
after about half an hour, andluckily we were able to dig deep and
stay in the game, and reallywe could have been three or four yearl

(03:58):
dame after half an hour or anIncredibly, they're just an incredible piece of
skill from one of the least skillfulplayers in our squads, the chip the
keeper from their hard Matt Kernot.It's changed the game and we've gone on
and won it and we'm able tohold on at the end. So yeah,
like I said, like we saidearlier, K I would probably tell

(04:20):
you that we were incredibly lucky towin. And I don't mind if we
keeps like robbing points off man.You know that that's that made me as
happy as dominating. If that makessense. Well, then you had another
stiff test, didn't you on Saturday? Going the Bristol telephones is never easy,
and I mean John Allen's got avery good pedigree in the Western League.

(04:42):
I mean, I mean you youyou know you came away winners there,
but by the sounds of what yousaid earlier in this interview, it
wasn't easy. I don't think anyonegoes to telephones and I think that's an
easy right there. I don't thinkthat's what John Allen the boat. I
think the some of the players thathe's got in he's had for a considerable
amount of time, and I think, you know, you know what you're
expecting, and you can kind ofprepare against it. You can you can

(05:02):
plot and plan, and you canget to your players to give them the
heads up of what to expect.And I thought you know, I thought
we scored, we scored early inthe game, and then had to understand
a little bit of precious and aerialthreats throughout the game, and then luckily,
luckily, with about ten minutes togo, we've got penalty and was

(05:23):
able to see the rest of thegame nine. So actually it was one
of those type of games where wewere never one hundred percent comfortable in it.
But I wasn't. I didn't feelunder pressure. I didn't feel like
we were we were like right upagainst it, like say, for example,
in the first part against Portant Head. So they had analyze that and
probably think that they were well wortha draw, and I probably couldn't argue

(05:45):
with them. But we managed toscore the goals at the important at the
right end of the game, rightto start and right at the end,
and you know, we take thepoints. So the million dollar question,
then, Ray, is what areyour aspirations for the side this season.
We're about sixteen or seventeen points awayfrom safety so far, so that's that's
bettered in my glass season. Ithink that's the first place to look,

(06:06):
and then anything once we get backthen we'll just we'll see where we are
are being candid obviously, but Ithink we can't compete with a lot of
the sides in the league, youknow, in terms of depths of squad
and all that sort of business.We're just enjoying each game as it comes
at them, and the ladder theladder to enjoyed each other's company, and
you know, we just we'll justkeep going. Who knows, mate,

(06:27):
who knows? We'll find out moretomorrow, I guess. So, you
know, we're not getting ahead ofour wealth. The players might be blood
the idiots, but I'm not necessarilyget in ahead of myself. I just
keep just keep turning up and keeptrying to prepare the team as best as
possible. But I am preparing abetter squad of players this year than I
was last year. Well, yeah, we talked about the fact you've got
Brislington up next. Obviously they arethe current league First Division champions. Which

(06:55):
other sides do you think will bethere or thereabout to come the end of
the season. Well, the oneswith the bigger, bigger resources on paper,
you'd imagine when Canton we won't bethere with the video and there and
they're abouts. I the thought theyseem to have it all set up right
to go in the right direction.There other thought, looking at looking at
the way Bittin's recruited over the summer, I'd be disappointed if they weren't in

(07:17):
the top six or thereabouts. Igenuinely think that it's going to be one
of those leagues. And from speakingto the other managers so far, I
think each team could cut each other'sthroat. I think that was actually a
phrase that John used on the weekend, and he was right. I think
I think you'll find this season alot of teams will beat each other.
So obviously we obviously were our nexttwo games I've just mentioned for is a
bitten, but di next two gamesof that and we can shuffle him back

(07:41):
down the pack again. But youknow, I think I think it's going
to be one of those type oflike you can lose twenty thirty points in
a season and still end up winningit. I think it's going to be
that kind of league. I don'tthink that. I don't think you'll find
anyone runs away with it. Well. One of the new initiatives that seems
to have appeared at the start ofthis season is the FAS Love Football,

(08:01):
Protect the Game initiative. Part ofthis is about what's going on in the
crowd, and another part of thisis about obviously what's going on on the
pitch in terms of the behavior ofplayers and people like yourself towards match officials.
I believe that there has been briefings, So I mean, what's your

(08:22):
take on what you've heard so far? We've had we had a talking to
by the referee before the start ofthe Woman's the game, first game of
the season, quite as lately oneas well. My I nearly it was
it took that long. I nearlyhave a shade again. It was basically
just focused on they were going tolike plamp down on on descent, which
you know, which might be abit rich coming from me, but I

(08:43):
absolutely backed that dred percent and focuson time wasting and getting the ball back
and play or getting more game timecric. So that was That's kind of
how I took what I took awayfrom that, And I think, well,
yeah, I mean both for thoseare good ideas. You know,
they're both They're both the right wayto go about things. I still think

(09:05):
there's room in the game for alittle bit of cleverness, a little bit
of smart, bit of streetwise play. I genuinely do. I think there's
more than one way of winning gamesof football. I think, you know,
it's not You're not always going towork past it like pair party,
do you know what I mean?It's it isn't going to be that way.
Sometimes you have to dig deep andyou know, and I don't think

(09:26):
that I don't think that that.You know, I think if as long
as you're the right side of thelaws, I think, you know,
I don't want to. I wouldn'twant to lose a little bit game management
like air quotes out of my team, if that makes sense. But but
but the initiative is absolutely right.You know, I can't I can't cult
the fay in that sense that youknow, try and get more of more

(09:48):
game time, more ball in play, and trying to get clamped down on
descent is one hundred percent the rightthing to do. I mean, if
we look at descent and we lookat players surround, think the match officials,
we even look at you know,technical areas approaching the match officials,
both the you know, the assistanceand the match referee. Notwithstanding what you

(10:13):
said about the sort of dare Isay at the dark Hearts of the game.
But I mean in a perfect world, if we take the emotion out
of it, what do you thinkthe perfect relationship is between the technical area,
the manager and the match officials.How do you how do you like
to be treated and how do youlike to engage with a match official during
a match? Well, how doI like to be treated by a rap

(10:35):
I couldn't given monkeys I they treatme. If I'm being honest, it
doesn't interest me one bit. Ido. All I ask for is is
absolute consistency. So if you know, if if, if, if they're
going to be hot on like winningheaders through the back of people and then
failing for that, then then givethem both ways. Don't just give them
one way. You know, ifif, if those comparable incidents given for

(10:58):
one team, I would like themto be given for both. I don't
so for me with the air quoterelationship with A I don't even learn their
first names because I don't want itto become personal, because it's never personal.
Even if I like if I sometimesif I learn their first names,
I think it becomes it can becomepersonal, And I don't think it's never
personal. I just think that Ijust say all I want is consistency.

(11:24):
That's all are And so if Iknow that something's happened in the first five
minutes, that's going to get mirroredlater on in the game, and I
know what to expect. Like otherpeople might not like being spoken to in
a certain way, some people thatan ass up to them, but I'm
not really I'm not really interested inhow they treat me, if I'm being
honest, I'm just more interested inthem making sure they get a higher percentage
of their decisions correct. And ifany of them we do travel with the

(11:48):
VO and if any of the restsap, will you know, any of
the ref will become be offered thefootage from each game that we watch that
we have and if they want totrain and learn themselves. Now we have
a who did earlier to the gamescoming up for you. Obviously there's that
Bristlington game midweek and then you've gotBitten at home at the weekend. The

(12:11):
games are coming thick and fast foryou, Ray in August. I mean,
with you winning at the moment,I guess that's not such a problem.
Now we've we've got a big squad, so basically some of a couple
of our best players last season,Will Osborn, Jack Farrion. They will
go off to UNI at some pointin September, so but they but the

(12:33):
fact that they've been there through Augustand have been really good players for US
so far this season has been aright bonus. So obviously when the game
start fiddling out a little bit andgoing back to one a week, they'll
at that point they go to university. So we've we've been able to recruit
against losing them while still being ableto have them during the busy period.
So actually we're not We're not upsetwith how we are within the squad,

(12:54):
if that makes sense. So,yeah, it is a busy period,
but it's a busy period for twentyfour so it's not you know, it's
no big we we ain't going tochange it now. I know some managers
don't like it all through like thatthrough August than you know, I would.
I'm not sort of one hundred percentin favor of it either, but
I understand the reasons why it's done, and we I think every manager needs

(13:18):
to sort of like say, recruitagainst it if you can. You know,
it's you know, we just wejust have to sort of stuck it
up, really and it's easier forme to say I haven't got a keep,
I haven't got a play ninety minutesevery week if I But you know,
it makes it a lot easier peoplepeople have, people more likely to
turn up if we're women. Butlike we, I'm gonna we we probably
won't trained out to the middle ofSeptember, so you know, the lad

(13:39):
the lads are probably quite happy aboutthat, right As always, thank you
for your time and you Kenda andI look forward to catching up with you
later on this later in the season.