Laird who has managed the likes of Weston-Super-Mare, Yate Town and Dorchester in his time brings a wealth of experience to the club and we hope a steady pair of hands.

We asked him: What are you first thoughts? Laird replied "Becoming the manager of a football club can be a challenging experience both in the short and long term. It is quite common to take over a club that is not in good shape or that is struggling at the bottom of the table, this is far from the case at Oldland. Off the pitch, the club is going from strength to strength with improvements to the infrastructure moving at a rapid pace. On the pitch, the team have struggled a little to acclimatise to the new level it finds itself.

As a manager, the most important thing to keep in mind is that you are just a custodian and will be adding your own bit of history to the club. Therefore, it is essential to acknowledge and appreciate all the hard work done over the years by the people working behind the scenes, including the program seller, the groundsman, the tea lady, and everyone else who contributes to making a non-league football club operate."

We then went on to ask for his comments on taking the job and the task ahead and he replied: "I firmly believe that Oldland Abbotonians Football Club has exciting times ahead. The club has an ambitious chairman who is driven, determined and focused. If we can match his attributes on the pitch, success is inevitable. I have received nothing but support from Paul, Darren and Nick, and together, we will drive the club forward."

Craig acknowledged that his first steps are to assess the current players and possibly add new ones to complement the existing squad. He said: "We need to organise the team's play, both in and out of possession and improve their fitness levels, and game strategy. This will be a gradual process, and we must exercise patience as the demands on the players increase. Our primary focus now should be to stay in this division while improving our performances and results. Once we achieve this, we can then proceed to build for the future both on and off the pitch at the same pace."

The role started with a 2-0 defeat at Bradford in the Les Phillips Cup on Tuesday night but the squad on Tuesday contained our Under 18 keeper Archie Didcott, young lads like Alfie and Ellis Clarke and when talking experience you are looking at Cash Vinall, Will Cains, Harrison Kyte and even R Case is only just 21 so clearly some experience in amongst that pack will be a help but all credit to the lads who have been performing to date. Tomorrow should be an interesting day and although it will take time we wish Craig all the best for a long and happy stay with the club.

Up The Os !