Tony Hesketh was the man chosen by the board to take on the awesome responsibility of guiding the club back into the Conference following the departure of Richard Dinnis and after Mick Cloudsdale's period as caretaker manager. HF Sloan caught up with Hesketh between his appointment and his first match in charge to bring you this insightful interview...
TONY HESKETH Barrow AFC Manager 1994-96
Could you take us through your career as both a player and a manager? I played as a youngster with Preston North End. But a twice broken right leg put paid to any hopes of a professional career. I then played semi-pro with Wigan Athletic and Chorley, but had to finish at the age of 27 after breaking a leg again. My first managerial post was twelve years ago at Barrow AFC where I ran the reserve side in the Lancashire League. After only twelve months I moved on to BAC Preston in the West Lancs League. Seven years and five championships later I joined Netherfield as Alan Kennedy's assistant and one year after that I replaced Alan as manager. For the last two years I have been in charge at Netherfield. Some supporters will question your appointment over managers with Conference experience. What do you think are the managerial strengths that won you the position and what is your message to these fans? All managers have strengths and weaknesses. Maybe the chairman and his board that appointed me could answer that one for you. One of my strengths is to improve ordinary players and make them function as a team. My message to the fans is wait and see. Two years from now and I might be getting some Vauxhall Conference experience myself with Barrow AFC. What are the main differences between Barrow and Netherfield? The main difference is the potential of each club. Netherfield realistically in my opinion will never get out of the First Division of the NPL. Their ground needs major improvements and the support through the gates is just not there. On the other hand Barrow have plans to rebuild the main stand and bring the ground up to Conference, if not League standard. The support goes without saying and the tradition of the club puts Barrow on a different planet to Netherfield. What sort of potential do you think the club has? The club has massive potential. We need to find consistency on the field to realise that potential. What are your main priorities at the club? My main priority is to build a side that can win the League. I also want to see the continued progress of the reserves and the junior sides. What do you think of the Barrow supporters and their reputation as the best in non-League football and what sort of relationship do you hope to enjoy with them? I saw the Barrow supporters in action at Morecambe last season. To be honest I was amazed with the turnout and thought to myself "Bloody hell, I wish we had this lot at Netherfield each week!" I have had an excellent relationship with the supporters at Netherfield. I knew all eleven of them personally in fact! I hope to enjoy a long and happy relationship with the Barrow fans... who I hope will always look on the bright side of life. Until they can match or better his achievements, Barrow managers will always be in the shadow of Ray Wilkie. What are your thoughts on this? Obviously Ray is a hard act to follow. Four have tried and four have failed. I'm not going to copy Ray's style. I have my own ideas and my own style. Only time will tell if I am to be remembered in my own right as a successful manager of Barrow AFC. Under Ray Wilkie, Barrow played free flowing attacking football with two wingers and an excellent passer of the ball in midfield. Do you intend to play this kind of entertaining football in a bid to re-attract those disillusioned fans who were staying away in droves at the end of last season? I like to play with width, but not necessarily with two wingers. I do encourage full backs to get forward and play a winger type of role when possible. I also encourage plenty of movement and interchange between midfield and forwards, creating space and width. I do prefer a passing game, so would expect a few 'excellent passers' in the side, and not just the one! I always try and produce entertaining football, but sometimes it's necessary to be flexible. By that I mean being more direct. Not quite the punt and rush game John Beck's sides play, I must add, but a longer ball game. Barrow fans will not tolerate anything less than 110% effort from players. During the Graham Heathcote era, players seemed to be at Barrow for the money and even last season a number of fans felt that John Brady and a few of his Scouse cohorts were staying at the club for the money and not because they wanted to play for Barrow. What are your views on this type of player? I've made it clear that there will be no easy rides at Barrow this year. What has happened in the past is not my concern, but we will be losing one or two players this season because my valuation of what they are worth to the club may not tally with their own. But I must stress that football is about opinions. Mine may be different to many of the supporters. But it will be my decision that counts. Sorry! Speed and stamina were problems for some of the players last season. Do you intend to get the squad superfit or hope the players let the ball do the work? First and foremost you need to be fit to play the game. Some players are naturally quicker than others, but all players will have a high level of stamina. Whether they fall into the 'superfit' category remains to be seen. As far as I am concerned the ball should do the work when controlled by fit footballers. Do you think the squad you inherited would have seriously challenged for honours this season? No, I think the squad in general was a wee bit old. In your opinion, are the club preparing for a sustained challenge for the title with ground improvements to match? The club is at the beginning of a new era. A relatively new board, a new manager and the prospect of a new stand. I believe a title side can take two years to build, but that is not to say the title is not the aim this season. I also believe that the chairman and his board are preparing for Barrow AFC to move on to greater things. They are hard working and ambitious and their plans for the club and its future certainly match mine in terms of ambition. Are there any teams that it would give you particular pleasure to stuff out of sight this season and why? At this moment in time, there are 21 teams that I would dearly love to stuff out of sight - twice! - for obvious reasons. But seriously, I have made very few enemies in football. However, it would please me greatly to beat Morecambe and Chorley simply because in recent years they have both overlooked me when making managerial appointments. He who laughs last, I say! Finally, do you have a message for Barrow supporters and Give 'Em Beans! readers everywhere? All I can say is that your support, both vocal and financial is vital to the future of this club. I know like me you have high hopes for the season. But like me, you will have to see the season as a marathon, not a sprint and if the early results don't go our way, don't despair, we will get it right. Stirring stuff indeed from our new manager who we must thank for answering our questions with such candour. Give 'em beans, Tony! HF Sloan Issue 020 - August 1994