A brilliant Brixham season built on hard work

For all the talk of technique and tactics, skill and strategy, if one group of players works harder than their opponents, it generally brings success on the football pitch.

The amazing achievements of Brixham AFC is testament to that approach, as the Fishermen can finally rest their weary legs with promotion to the Southern League secured and a runners-up medal in the Les Phillips Cup.

While Brixham ultimately went down to a 3-1 defeat against league champions Portishead Town in the cup final, it was a stellar sign-off to the campaign and a window into the challenges they will face next term.

“We were given the runaround in the first 20 minutes and couldn’t get to grips with their shape,” said Brixham joint-manager Jason Couch. “We knew the way they were going to play but we didn’t execute what we wanted to do.

“We finished the first half the better team and had two glorious chances at the start of the second half, but Portishead are a very good side and they got the goals at the right time. Fair play to them, they’ve had a great season and so have we.

“We are not going into the Southern League with a lack of understanding of what we will face. We know it’s going to be a tough league and some very good teams.

“I was talking to the Falmouth Town manager, Andy Westgarth, and they finished ninth but still lost 18 games in a 42-game season. Teams will lose a lot of games in that league and we’re under no illusions of the levels we need to reach.

“It will be a great test and one we are relishing.”

Alongside fellow manager Tim Porter, Couch has helped steer Brixham from the South Devon League to a level that sits just two divisions below Torquay United, an unthinkable prospect in years gone by.

It is an achievement based on hard work, the loyalty of players and staff, management of individuals and amazing support from the terraces, club volunteers and officials.

“I’ve been at Brixham since 2012, Tim has been there for seven years, and when you’ve been there for that long, players tend to stick around as well because they buy into what you’re doing and they buy into the club,” added Couch.

“We’ve had a lot of success in the past few years and it’s good to work with players and see them develop as people. They’re all growing up, starting families, moving house and new jobs.

“There is more to management than systems and tactics, it’s about managing people and understanding them and their expectations, people of all different ages. If you can do that over time, it’s a lot easier than constantly changing.

“One of the successes of Brixham is the longevity of players.  

“The first season in the Western League was an eye-opener in terms of the levels and the intensity of games, it gave us an insight into what we needed to do, and we felt, with a bit of luck, we could get into the play-offs this season.

“We targeted fifth place, the last play-off place, so to finish third, closer to the top two than to fourth, was a massive over-achievement. Getting to a cup final was unbelievable as well.

“It has been an amazing season and all down to hard work. Nobody could ever accuse Brixham AFC of not being a hardworking team and that tends to bring success in football.”

Well played Brixham AFC, a season that will long in the memory!