STEVE Wilkes has not been able to hold back the tears.
After five-and-a-half years in charge of Northwich Victoria, the 1-0 win at Burscough on Saturday was the manager’s last at the helm.
And the scenes at the end of the sixth straight win, when Wilkes was embracing fans in the crowd and sharing tears, showed how much the club means to him despite making the tough decision to step down.
“It was very emotional on Saturday, especially at the final whistle,” he said.
“I walked out at five to three and the fans were singing my name. It’s nice, they’ve been brilliant with me through thick and thin – from the FA Vase run to when we weren’t playing so well, they’ve still sang my name.
“And as a manager that’s what you want, people understanding. You’re not going to please everybody every week, that’s part and parcel of the job.
“I’ve been asked what will I be most proud of. People will say the FA Vase, but for me, from the messages I’ve had this week off fans – I’ve given them their football club back, and that to me means more than winning trophies.
“They’ve got to go on to that next step now, they’ve got to keep moving the football club forward now, it’s imperative that they do that because this is such a fantastic football club with fantastic people at the helm but I just don’t feel that I’m the man to take it to that next step.”
Wilkes admitted it had been emotional since handing in his resignation last Monday but is proud to be leaving the club in a much better state than when he arrived six years ago.
“The first home game at Barnton in 2017 we had about 78 people or so watching,” he said.
“For the football club to be where it is now from then it’s chalk and cheese.
“And that’s not just down to me, it’s down to all the fans, all the players that have played for the club, and the committee that have done so well to try and move the football club forward and I’m sure they’ll keep doing that.
“Like I said in my message last week, I’ll always be a Trickie and I will come back and watch matches.
“I’ve not got anything lined up, I’m not walking away from the club to go somewhere else, it’s just a decision that I’ve taken, a really tough decision, and it breaks my heart but I have to do it.
“If every fan can bring a fan with him next year and you get 250 people through the door then you’re going to move the football club forward and that’s what it’s all about.
“My last message to the Northwich Vics fans is I love every single one of you, you’ve made my five-and-a-half years the best five-and-a-half years I’ve seen as a football manager.
“I’ve shed tears this week, I shed tears on the pitch at the end of the game and no doubt in the coming weeks I’ll be shedding more tears.”
Vics finished the campaign fifth on the North West Counties Football League Premier Division ladder.
“It’s nice to finish on a win,” said Wilkes.
“We just had a bad 18 days at the beginning of March. If we’d won two of those five games we’d have been sitting pretty but I’m sure every other team in the league has ifs, buts and maybes.
“The lads have been brilliant for me, I can’t fault them. Some have played for me with injuries, some have gone above and beyond for me.”
Wilkes’ last public duty with Vics will be his attendance at the club’s player-of-the-year presentation night next month.
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