Posted by Scoop on December 14, 2007, 9:22 pm
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Corsham Mel Gingell admits his triumphant return to Western League management with home- town club Corsham has re-ignited his passion for the game - but admitted he may not have taken the job in the first place had it not been for his wife.The 60-year-old was ready to bring down the curtain on his long career in local football after his fruitful spell in charge of Wiltshire Under 18 ended in acrimony following a fall-out with the county FA last season, but he now finds himself back at the sharp end with the Toolstation Premier Division champions.
Gingell answered an SOS from chairman John Gingell during the summer and took over a club in disarray just weeks after their finest hour.
Colin Bush had left along with his coaching staff and all but one member - Simon Gray - of his title-winning squad, while his successor, Graham Learmonth - now Gingell's assistant - had resigned for family reasons.
The veteran former Chippenham, Melksham and Calne boss scrapped the club's friendly fixture list and battled against the odds to throw together a competitive squad of local-based players, including sons Nick and Craig and nephew James Lye, in time for the campaign.
Since then, the new-look Corsham have surprised many - including their manager - with their progress and now find themselves making an unexpected challenge for a top-five finish, prompting the board to extend the two-year contract Gingell signed in the summer and hand him the reins until at least the end of the 2009-10 season.
He said: "It's great, an honour. I didn't think things would work out as well as they have done, to be honest.
"I thought that was it after what happened with the Wilts FA last season.
"They'd won nothing for years and then we won six trophies in five seasons with the under 18s - I was disgusted with the way it ended after all the hard work me and the young lads had put in.
"So I was probably just going to get around and watch a few games without being involved, but then Corsham came to me and asked 'did I fancy the job?'
"It was actually my wife, Mary, who said to me 'it's Corsham, we live here and you should give it a go' so that convinced me to do it.
"I've brought in players from the town and given them a chance and we've got a great team spirit.
"Both of my lads play and so does my nephew, so it's quite nice really and I'm having a great time."
The postponements of Corsham's home match against Barnstaple last Saturday and the midweek fixture at Bristol Manor Farm have halted their rapid progress, but they still only trail second-placed Frome by five points and have two games in hand.
The runners-up spot, a position achieved by Corsham under Bush for two seasons before they landed the title last term, seems to be the best any of the sides chasing current leaders Truro City can hope for.
Gingell will find out just how far his side have come a week on Saturday when they make the trip to the champions-elect's Treyew Road ground, with his club footing the bill for an overnight stay on the Friday night.
Typically, he is bullish about the prospect, but insists protecting Corsham's proud unbeaten home record against Radstock, on Saturday, and Melksham, on Tuesday night, is his first priority.
He said: "It's a big three games but all the lads can talk about is Truro.
"I'm not worried about going down there and know exactly what we're going to try and do.
"But I always think if you can do well at home then you've got a chance, so the next two are very important games for us and we can't take our eye off the ball."
www.thisisbath.co.uk
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