Welcome to St James Park for this FA Cup tie and welcome to everyone associated with AFC Portchester.

Following Andy’s resignation, I was asked to step in as manager, which I am pleased to do. Supporters know how I feel about this Club and the connection I have with the Club and its supporters. I will always do everything I can to help take Brackley Town forward.

I am not pleased, of course, with the circumstances that bring me back into the dugout. I want to see Brackley Town thriving, competing at the right end of the table and continuing to move forward. I also do not like to see any manager lose their job or feel that they need to walk away. I understand the pressures that the glare of being in the public eye can bring when results are not going well, despite the hard work and commitment that goes on behind the scenes. It is not easy. I send my sincere, best wishes to Andy.

My role at the Club this season has been slightly different. Alongside my work with the player recruitment team, watching games at clubs at all levels, I have also been heavily involved in helping to build the Club’s infrastructure and put further foundations in place for the future.

That work is something I am very passionate about. I believe Brackley Town has the potential to continue growing, both on and off the pitch, and that means making sure we have the right structures, people and foundations in place to support that growth over the long term.

It is important that we continue to build a Club that is sustainable and ambitious, not just looking at what happens this season but creating something that can benefit Brackley Town for many years to come.

Because of my role this season, I have not seen all of our games in person, although I have watched them after the event and followed the team closely.

After a really encouraging performance at Chorley, when we should have taken all three points, we nicked a home win against the odds here against Harborough before suffering heavy defeats away at Buxton and Morecambe.

This afternoon gives us an opportunity to start to build again.

The first-half performance against a strong Macclesfield side, before we went down to ten men following the red card, and the performance at Chorley showed the talent, character and determination that I know are within this group. But we have to rebuild that belief after these setbacks.

Having captained this Club for a decade, I know what it means to pull on the Brackley Town shirt. I know what it takes to win football matches, but I also know that winning is about far more than what happens for 90 minutes on a Saturday.

It is about standards. It is about togetherness. It is about character when things are difficult. It is about fighting for the person alongside you and, importantly, understanding what this Club means to the people who come through those turnstiles every week.

I also know, from my time as captain, just how important the supporters are. There is a real connection between this Club, the players and the people of Brackley, and when that connection is strong, St James Park can be a very difficult place for any opposition to come.

We need to get that connection back.

An FA Cup tie is an ideal opportunity to start that process. There are no guarantees in football, and I certainly won’t make any. What I can promise is that I will give everything I have to this job and work tirelessly with the players and my staff to turn things around.

I care deeply about this Club. I care about the players, the staff and, most importantly, the supporters who give up their time, their money and their weekends to follow Brackley Town.

This is a Club that has given me an enormous amount over the years, and I feel a huge responsibility to give something back.

The process may not be quick, and there will inevitably be bumps along the way, but we have to start somewhere. Today is that opportunity.

We need everyone pulling in the same direction. We need the players to show the fight and determination that I know they have, and we need you, the supporters, right behind them.

I am looking forward to getting back into the dugout at St James Park and, hopefully, sharing a positive afternoon with you all.

Thank you for coming out to support the team. It means more than you probably realise.

Let’s get behind the lads and give everything we have together.

Gaz