Dereham are on a real high thanks to a united front
Wayne Anderson, left, and manager Neal Simmons. Picture: Ian Burt - Credit: Ian Burt
Dereham Town have reached their highest ever position in the non-league pyramid - and assistant boss Wayne Anderson says everyone connected to the club should feel proud of the achievement.
The Magpies moved to the top of Bostik League Division One North after a hard-fought 1-0 victory at previously unbeaten AFC Hornchurch - and will be looking to keep up the good work today when they visit another London outfit, Haringey Borough.
Anderson, in charge last week while manager Neal Simmons – yesterday named Bostik North manager of the month – was away, praised the players, but said the superb start was about more than just those on the pitch.
“Everyone has put in a shift this season - and I am not just talking about the players,” he said. “There are lot of people behind the scenes who are working very hard as well and with everyone pulling in the right direction we have made a really good start. There is a great belief in the camp all the way through - it’s great to be part of it and long may it continue.”
Dereham claimed top spot the hard way by winning two tough away games in the space of four days. They followed up a 2-0 win at Cheshunt by coming away from Hornchurch with all three points courtesy of a well-taken first-half goal from striker Ryan Crisp.
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“I was really proud of the lads after the game,” said Anderson. “It wasn’t easy because we were up against a good side and the kick-off had to be delayed because of problems with the traffic. But they went out and showed just how well they could play in the first half and then dug deep in the second to see the game out.
“The first 45 minutes was the best I have seen from the lads since I have been here. But I was just as pleased with the attitude they showed when Hornchurch started to pile on the pressure towards the end. They threw everything at us and we defended superbly.”
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Having picked up 32 points from their opening 14 games Dereham’s challenge now is build a promotion challenge. Anderson added: “It is still early days and all we can do is focus on one match at a time but with the confidence in the camp there’s no reason we can’t keep on winning games.”