New Horncastle Town boss aims to improve fortunes

​Stephenson, 30, has taken over after previous boss Andrew Cotton stepped down, the new man nevertheless being a very familiar face around the club.

And he’s now delighted to have taken on his latest role.

He said: “I started playing for the club at U12 level right through to the first team, took over managing the U10s when I was 18, have managed the reserves for a number of years and was also Andrew’s assistant with the first team, so I’m probably a natural fit to take over!

"I’ve been here a long time and it’s like a second family to me – not just the players but their families too.

"That’s always been the feel of the club and we’re keen for that to continue, whilst also making progress on the pitch after what have been a tough couple of years.”

Horncastle currently sit 15th in the 18-team Lincolnshire Football League, and whilst having a successful side is of course important to Stephenson, having a happy set of players is just as crucial.

He said: “We all want to win but the main thing is we have a bunch of players who turn up and enjoy themselves. Football is a hobby to all of us, nobody gets paid, people want to be here.

"We’re very lucky. Most of the players are local to the town and we rarely have to go out and find anyone – players all approach us wanting to come here, which is a credit to the club and how we do things.

"It’s been a rocky, turbulent time in recent years and we’ve not found the consistency. We need to get that as well as an identity of how to play.

"Even when we lost a recent game 5-1 to Ruston Sports, we actually played really well but just couldn’t finish.”

Subsequent games have seen Horncastle score ten in two games, then concede 15 in the next two, but an encouraging performance in losing 2-0 at league leaders Lincoln Moorlands Railway last time out will no doubt offer plenty to work with.

*More on Liam Stephenson’s plans with Horncastle Town will feature in next week’s edition of the Horncastle News.