AS the curtain is closed on another year of football, our local clubs are reflecting on what has been another eventful start to the season.

So, what does EAST THURROCK UNITED manager John Coventry make of the first five months of term?

How do you assess what East Thurrock United have achieved up to now?

From August to now we have done very well and I am really pleased with what every player and person behind the scenes has contributed.

You always want more as a manager and even though we have done well I want more and the players have never let me down in that regard.

We played Hungerford Town in our first game and they played at a similar level to us last season (winning promotion from the Southern Premier League via the play-offs).

You are trying to gauge things after that first game. I didn’t think we deserved to lose that game (1-0) but I knew it was only going to get tougher and you do naturally think ‘this is going to be really tough’.

We got our first win at Hampton & Richmond Borough a week later and getting that first victory at this level was great.

Hampton came from our level and after that game I started to know we could compete. They had done well up to that point and you do look at what other teams do against other teams.

What has been your biggest positive/negative?

We are blessed with talented footballers that going forward can be very effective. You can’t expect them to be on their game all the time, but they have more often than not.

We were without Sam Higgins for a large part of the first half of the season so you wonder if goals are going to be hard to come by but we had players step up the plate.

It goes without saying that the defending has been very good as well. Everyone has played a key part, and that includes Lukas (Lidakevicius) who has come on a great deal and been exceptional.

Going out the FA Cup was disappointing as we are used to have a good run in that competition. We love a cup run so have had to replace that with the FA Trophy.

Beating (National League side) Aldershot Town over two games and 210 minutes of football was a great achievement and was another memory to add to the list.

I would say that was my second favourite victory after the win against Eastbourne Borough which set up an FA Cup first round game against Macclesfield in 2011.

How pleased are you with the current squad – do you think anything is missing?

I am extremely pleased. They are a great bunch and every compliment should go to them. We are halfway through and people would have wondered if we could cut it at the start of the season and we have more than held our own.

I have looked at certain players and have wondered if they were giving it their all at times but I have spoken to them and the response has been excellent. In recent weeks I have been very happy.

We recently added (defender) Ade Osifuwa after Ryan Sammons was ruled out for the season and Lee Burns has struggled with several niggles.

Our player turnover is very low and I am proud of that. We have only used 19 this season and I want to stick with players and work with players.

The staff has been excellent too. Jay (Devereux) is brilliant and we are a team.

What are your thoughts on the club’s cup runs?

Beating (National League side) Aldershot Town (in the FA Trophy) over two games and 210 minutes of football was a great achievement and was another memory to add to the list.

I would say that was my second favourite victory after the win against Eastbourne Borough which set up an FA Cup first round game against Macclesfield in 2011.

We haven’t taken the Essex Senior Cup seriously in the past due to other cup runs but being knocked out of the FA Cup meant we were without Tuesday fixtures.

It is one of them that when the game comes along you do look at the fixtures you have coming up. We would love to do well in it but sometimes you just can’t.

But we will give it a good old go this year.

Where did you want/anticipate you would be by Christmas at the beginning of the season?

As a manager you are just looking at making sure you stay in the league but you don’t tell the players as you want to push on and achieve more. Expectations change as games are played and now we are in a position where we can look higher.

And that is a credit to all that have played a part.

What are your goals/realistic aims for the second half of the season?

We want to maintain what we have been doing. If we look back and maintain that we can be proud with what we have done come the end of the season.

BREAKDOWN

l League position: 9th

l Player of the season (so far): Tom Wraight – After an unsuccessful summer trial at Gillingham, Wraight has shown he is more than capable of cutting it in the professional game. He has 12 goals, plenty of them spectacular, in 25 games to date.

Joe Ellul and Lukas Lidakevicius have also excelled.

l Game of the season (so far): FA Trophy first round: Aldershot Town 3-4 East Thurrock (Monday, December 12). Having drawn with the National League side two days previously, Rocks went to Hampshire and excelled – Kane Ferdinand netting the extra-time winner.

l Biggest win: Truro City 0-6 East Thurrock (National League South - Saturday, September 3) l Biggest defeat: Five matches all lost by one goal.

l Top scorer: Tom Wraight (13)