Fearless Garry Haylock does not want the threat of relegation to have a hold on Hayes & Yeading United in the same way that Lord Voldemort haunts the wizarding world of Harry Potter.
It's crunch time for Haylock’s side in their battle to beat the Conference South drop as they prepare for the final two fixtures of the season, with Bath City on Saturday and then a final-day trip to Gosport a week later.
Basingstoke Town have already bitten the dust, but Hayes & Yeading remain anchored in the bottom three heading into this weekend’s game as they scrap with the likes of Margate, Havant & Waterlooville and St Albans to try and escape.
United are not making life easy for themselves and inexplicably failed to take three points from Concord Rangers on Saturday, despite Elliott Benyon’s last-gasp penalty putting them in front as the visitors grabbed a draw in the fifth minute of stoppage time.
Relegation is a very real threat and would frighten most managers, but not Haylock, who does not want the situation to become like the Potter series as just speaking the name of evil Voldemort is enough to terrify the characters of JK Rowling’s novels.
Haylock said: “I’m in the exact job I want to be in at exactly the right time in exactly the right place. I have never had a problem talking about relegation. I liken it to the Harry Potter books and he who must not be named (Voldemort).
“Potter was always saying ‘Well, why can’t we talk about it?’ It’s finding a balance between not talking about avoiding relegation constantly and not being afraid to confront it.
“It’s not easy though, and if I had all the answers I wouldn’t be here, I’d be at a Premier League club. It’s about trying to remind the players firstly of their responsibilities, and then their capabilities. This team has got enough ability to beat anyone in the league.
“We’ve beaten Maidstone, beaten Gosport and taken points off all the top teams so there should be no fear. It could go down to the last game but we’ll try and win our next game, and then the next one.
“The big thing for me is not whether the players have the ability or whether the tactics are right. We could play three at the back or five at the back, but for me it is about the players’ mindset and mentality.”
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