Hampton & Richmond Borough FC secured their National League South play-off place yesterday, with a 3-1 victory at fellow play-off hopefuls St. Albans City. It has been an unforgettable season for the club, but one with many twists and turns left in store.
Sky Sports commentator and Hampton first-team coach Martin Tyler believes the mentality of the players has been central to their success. He said: “The players have been excellent; they’ve maintained their level of commitment, and they’ve never questioned anything we’ve asked them to do.”
He added that there is a special bond between the players that exists both on and off the pitch. He revealed: “They socialise a bit together as well; they enjoy each other’s company, and I think that reflects in the way they play on the pitch.”
The spirit within the team has been demonstrated as the climax to the season edges closer. An early Charlie Wassmer goal was enough to overcome struggling Poole Town on Tuesday, whilst yesterday’s victory against St. Albans City was sealed by goals from Wassmer, Shaun Jeffers and Taurean Roberts.
After this result, St. Albans dropped into seventh, the final play-off place, whilst Hampton found themselves securely in third on 71 points. They are currently six points clear of the teams outside of the play-off places, so the lowest place they can now finish is seventh. In Hampton’s final league fixture of the season next Saturday, they host Truro City, who lie in eighth with play-off ambitions of their own.
Tyler claimed the play-offs would only be discussed by the club’s management once they had become a mathematical certainty. They are still taking each game as it comes, but he emphasised the significance of the game against Truro. He said: “They knocked us out of the FA Cup, so we’ve got a bit of a revenge motive in that, but we’ll try to win the game and see what happens.”
But Tyler insisted that, whether they succeed in the play-offs or not, everyone at the club will be proud of what the players have achieved this season. He added: “They’ve been a delight to work with; they’ve worked really hard and I would like for them to get some real reward at the end of it.”
He also understands the scale of the achievement if his side wins promotion this season. He stressed: “That, undoubtedly, would be regarded as the best ever season in the club’s history, so that’s a target in itself. It would be astonishing for a club as small as Hampton & Richmond Borough to get into the National League.”
And he is confident that the club is ready for new challenges if it does win promotion, although they would have lots to consider in preparation for a season in the National League. He said: “These are things we can’t think about just yet; they’re problems for when it happens, but they’re also exciting problems to think about as well.”
