Jamie Tompkins and Andy Cox face the questions.
After last weekend’s wins for Ascot United’s Men’s and Women’s team, ascotunited.net caught up with respective managers Jamie Tompkins and Andy Cox to get their thoughts on the victories, updates on injuries and their thoughts for the run-in.
Jamie, let’s start with you. Congratulations on securing the win last weekend. Looking back at the Harrow game, you must be delighted to have recorded a comfortable double over a side with pedigree hunting around the play-offs. What was your take on the game and the key factors that earned the win?
Absolutely, Harrow are a strong side, and to beat them home and away this season is a fantastic achievement. I thought we were disciplined, well-organised and ruthless when our chances came. We knew they had real attacking quality, so our structure out of possession was important, and the lads executed that brilliantly. When we had the ball, we played with purpose and intelligence, moving it quickly and finding the right moments to attack in the first half but not so much in the second half. Ultimately, the key factor was our mentality – we approached the game with the right intensity and belief, and that showed in our performance.
Andy, moving to you. Many congrats on the win last weekend that put the Women further clear at the top of the table. A similar question for you: looking back at the Oxford game you must be delighted to have recorded a double over one of the stronger teams in the league who had a perfect home record. What was your take on the game and the key factors that earnt the win?
Whilst being in charge this was for me our best performance of the season, we have been working on patterns of play and being patient in the last third. We played against a side that played 5 across the back and put in a low block. They were set up well and tried to set traps in order to counter-attack. They were young, fit and played on the counter with high tempo. The 3 goals we scored were clinical. We had to dig deep second half and injuries never helped. Yet again the players called upon put in a real shift. We again ended the game with a finished the game with 6 players aged 18 or under.
Jamie, the fans have been increasingly calling out the contribution of Harvey Harry, who seems to be getting better and better since his arrival mid-season. How pleased are you with what he’s brought to the squad?
Harvey has been excellent, and it’s great to see the supporters recognising his impact. He’s got that blend of technical quality, work rate, and tenacity that makes him such an important player for us. Since coming in mid-season, he’s settled in really well and grown into his role within the squad. His confidence is building, and you can see that in his performances. He’s contributing in and out of possession and making a real difference to the team. I’m really pleased with him, but I know there’s even more to come, which is exciting.
Andy, back to you. It’s hard not to look at the table and I think we need four wins from six to secure the title. Do you have a points target in mind?
Our target is 18 points from the last 6 games, we have to take one game at a time. We go confident but stay humble and respect the opposition.
Jamie, let’s talk the numbers game with you too. We’re now 12 points above sixth place in the play-off zone, and I know you only focus on the squad, their improvement, and taking each game as it comes. But when you sit back on a Sunday evening, you must be delighted with where you are. There are tough games ahead – what do you want to see from the boys in the final third of the season?
The table is what it is, but as I’ve said before, our focus has to remain on performance levels and continuous improvement. The minute we start looking too far ahead or feeling comfortable, we lose what’s made us strong. Every week presents a new challenge, and we have to keep hitting the standards we’ve set. The key for the final third of the season is consistency and maintaining the intensity, the discipline, and the hunger to keep winning. There are no easy games at this stage, so we have to be relentless in everything we do.
Andy, I’m going to ask you and Jamie about injuries now. We’ve picked up a few lately. Jess [Drage] limped off last week and Alice [Balaam] and Lucky hobbled off on Sunday. And we know Leah [Robertson] will be out for around a month albeit thankfully not as bad as it initially looked. Is there any update on them?
It is too early to predict is Lucky, Jess and Alice will be available for the weekend. Kate also picked up a hamstring injury. Robbo will be out for around 4 weeks, she is in good spirits after a real scare. Jodie pPhysio) will assess all [of them] on Wednesday. We are fortunate to have 3 large squads in the women’s section. Players that have been called upon have all stood up to the challenge.
And Jamie – what is the status of Taylor’s injury? And Ben, who missed last weekend with an ankle problem I understand?
Taylor will be with us very soon, and we’ll take it session by session with him. He’s eager to be back out there, but we need to make sure he’s 100% before he returns. With Ben, a suspension and availability has kept him out.
Andy, This season we’ve rotated our goalkeeper a few times for various reasons. Next weekend do you think you will need to do the same, and if so who would you call on given the dependable Chloe [Donnellan] is back at University?
Jodie [Gray-Piazza] is another player carrying an Injury, we will assess the situation again this week. But we are gifted to have so many goalkeepers available to us.
Jamie – finally, what about you personally? You have your day job at Brentford FC and a long commute from Kent, and now you’ve had your baby boy home for a few months after a tricky start post-birth. How do you bring that unwavering energy and attention to detail each Saturday and midweek?
Football has always been a massive part of my life, and when you love what you do, the energy comes naturally. Yes, there are long days, and balancing everything can be a challenge, but I’m fortunate to be supported by so many brilliant people. Having my little boy, Alfie, home after a tough start puts everything into perspective (not forgetting I completely lost my voice for a few months!). It’s a reminder of what really matters, and if anything, it’s given me even more motivation to give my best every day. I’m incredibly lucky to be doing what I love, and that makes the hard work worthwhile.
Andy – one more for you to finish. There is a super mix of youth and experience in this side and last time I asked you about the youth. This time, I’ll ask about the experienced ones – do you see any of them calling time at the end of this season and if so will there be some persuading to be done – the supporters are first to recognize some of the quality they bring and would love to see them stay on?
I call them ‘cultural architects’, they are leaders on and off the pitch. It Is too early to say on what their plans are for next season, they are purely focused on the promotion push. It was clear to see on Sunday the impact that our experienced players had on the game, they are pivotal in us getting over the line this season. Several discussions have taken place as experience and youth will be required next season, whatever the outcome.
Jamie, Andy, thanks for taking the time speak to ascotunited.net this week and best wishes for the run-in.