One of best moments of my career says Wingate boss Norman
Wingate celebrate scoring in the Bostik Premier (pic: Gavin Ellis/TGS Photo). - Credit: Gavin Ellis/TGS Photo
The Blues managed to avoid relegation with a 4-2 win at home to Burgess Hill Town
Wingate & Finchley boss Dave Norman hailed his side’s dramatic relegation survival on the final day of the Bostik Premier season.
The Blues’ 4-2 win over Burgess Hill Town – during which Wingate were only 10 minutes from the drop – was ranked by Norman as one of the proudest achievements in his career.
And that coming from a manager who as a player “won every trophy possible in non-league football”.
Norman said: “I was more nervous for this than I’ve ever been. We were checking the Whitehawk score but knew it was in our hands.
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“This win is absolutely huge for the club. It means everything because it’s survival at this level.
“It’s an incredible achievement from everyone involved because we’re a community club and we can’t compete budget-wise compared to other sides in the league.
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“It’s been 12 weeks of really hard work and now we’ve got a platform to get a good pre-season and really build for next year.
“There’s a lot of ability in this side and things are looking very positive ahead of next year.”
As for his own future at the club – Norman has juggled managerial duties at Summers Lane alongside his director of sport post at Rhyl FC – the Blues’ boss was unsure.
He said: “It’s something I need to discuss with the chairman (Aron Sharpe). Commuting from North Wales has been very difficult but also thoroughly enjoyable.
“When I had the initial phone call from the chairman asking if I could support in the interim I didn’t think it was going to last 12 weeks.
“I was thinking it would be only three or four weeks while they looked for a manager. But things changed and I’m so pleased we’ve all turned it around together.
“My remit was to get the club out of a relegation battle and stay in the Bostik Premier – we’ve managed to do just that.”
