Rob Hodgson: “We’re going to do everything in our power to achieve our goals this year”

 

Rob Hodgson was appointed manager of Rayleigh Town in 2023.

Rob Hodgson is no stranger to performing beyond expectations.

Playing for many years at Hullbridge Sports, he took up the role of player/manager at the age of just 26 in 2015, guiding ‘The Bridge’ to a memorable FA Vase run to the Round of 32 in his first season, while securing a respectable 11^th place finish in the Essex Senior League.

Now the manager of Rayleigh Town, he managed to secure promotion to Step 6 for the Rochford outfit for the first time in their history in 2024 by winning the Essex Olympian Premier league, and the club enjoyed a very impressive first season in the Thurlow Nunn Division One South, finishing 4^th in the league and reaching the playoff final – only losing out to a very strong Hackney Wick side.

Speaking on The Back Post Show’s Thurlow Nunn South preview show, Hodgson, now 36, looks ahead to Rayleigh’s second season at Step 6.

"We’d love to finish in the playoffs again this year”, Hodgson explains. “But, being realistic, there are strong sides that have come down, such as FC Romania and Stansted, teams have made good managerial appointments… it’s going to be a real tough league.

“But we are going to be ready to compete as much as we can.”

Looking back on the whirlwind couple of years that Rayleigh have experienced, Hodgson looks back on events at the club since 2023/24 with pride.

“When I came to the club, the ambition was to become a Step 6 club, but we didn’t expect it to happen so quickly”, Hodgson reflects. “The belief was there, it’s easy to believe… but we had to achieve it, so when it happened, we were thrilled.

“This previous season in the Thurlow [Nunn South] was challenging because a lot of the boys were playing at Step 6 for the first time, and I don’t think they realised just how much travelling there is, and how intense and physical the games are.

“I was really happy with how we approached the season. It was disappointing to miss out on promotion in the playoff final, but Hackney Wick are a very good side and deserved to win it on the day.”

When asked about the biggest challenge he and the club faced last season, Hodgson looks back on the tasks he faced regarding the availabilities of his squad members.

“I knew we couldn’t survive on a squad of 18 all year because of the potential for injuries, and you then end up short on players”, he says. “So we took a bigger squad last season, of around 25 players. The biggest challenge was keeping 25 players happy by rotating throughout the season. We had some players who suffered big injuries as well, which was unfortunate.”

As for the current situation of the club itself, it has been well-documented that Rayleigh have been forced to ground-share with Concord Rangers, based on Canvey Island, since their promotion to Step 6, given the unsuitability of their ground at London Road in the town. While not an ideal situation for the club, Hodgson explains that there are advantages and disadvantages to the situation.

“The advantage is that we get to play at Step 6, which is the most important thing”, Hodgson says warmly. “But the ground at Concord is fantastic, and we’re very lucky to play there.

“The staff have looked after us massively, they are very friendly and helpful, which we appreciate. But the real downside is that we’re not at Rayleigh, so people from the town find it harder to get over and support us.”

Finally, it is expected that there will be added pressure on Rayleigh given the success of last season, but what does Hodgson think about the pressure from others looking in?

“If I’m being completely honest, the only people who put pressure on us staff are each other”, Hodgson smiles. “We work relentlessly, I get home from work every day and get straight to my second job, which is football.

“We know what we want from this season, and with regards to our goals, we’re going to do everything in our power to make them achievable this year.”