Chris Tullin has spoken for the first time since being appointed as Hinckley AFC’s manager – as he discusses why he wasn’t ready to leave the club, his admiration for the squad and the playing style he wants to implement.
Tullin steps up to become manager after the departure of Ross Innes and Adam Davies, but still thinks there’s plenty to work with in the squad and says there’s unfinished business to get the best out of the potential shown so far.
He said: “I’ve got huge respect for Ross and Adam, who brought me back into the game at Atherstone, and I’ll be forever thankful to them for that. They’ve made a decision based on what they feel is right for them but I didn’t feel ready to leave yet.
“I enjoy this club and the people around it, with its big fanbase, and this team is on the cusp of something really positive. I also wanted to make sure there’s some consistency for players who I’ve got a lot of respect for. This is a strong squad that has the capability to push on and when it clicks, which I’m confident it will soon, you’ll see a really strong team.
“I just felt there’s more to come and more I can give. You know when you’re ready to leave a club and I’m not yet.”
He said that talent in the squad is part of what kept him driven to stay on, and hopes he can help deliver success as the group continues to gel together.
“The squad that’s been built is one that I want to keep together – and Ross and Adam deserve a lot of credit for that. I’d like to keep them all because I really believe they’re on the cusp of something positive.
“We’ve got some lads who have been here a long time, like Ky who’s been great since he returned, and the likes of Zaki, Chandler and Drew. They’ve blended really well with the new guys, like Ollie Bosworth who’s been really high quality in goal. I could name them all, so we absolutely want continuity in the squad.”
Having been at the club for just shy of a year, Tullin has helped bring the squad together but he now wants to implement his own playing style.
Having had a long playing career himself with the likes of Nuneaton, Bedworth and Rugby, he said there are traits from his playing days that he wants his team to replicate – but, as he jokes, he also wants to bring in a style that is a bit different to his time as a no-nonsense defender.
“I want our style to represent what I was like as a player – I built my career on being hard to beat and organised, and that won’t come overnight.
“But I’ll also look to implement a possession style, where we get the ball forward fast and on the floor. Sometimes you’ll have to turn teams around but fans want to see attractive football – that’s one thing that will be a bit different to me as a player! It will be high risk at times but hopefully will bring us high reward off the back of it, and I hope that’s something that the fans can buy into and stick with us.
“I also want to continue to bring through the youth team. We had Jake and Prince make good impacts for us last season, and there’s more talent within that as well as in the younger age groups. I want to make sure there’s a pathway for lads to play for their local club.”
That “high risk, high reward” philosophy is something he wants his team to maintain throughout matches – as he aims to bring together the 90-minute performance that has eluded the side for much of this season, despite promising halves.
“If we’re 1-0 up I’ll go for two, if we’re 2-0 up I’ll go for three. I want us to keep being brave. There will be times we’ll have to play long but that’s at specific times within a game.
“Players want to play football and we have to stick to that philosophy. The way we play and create chances won’t change whether we’re 1-0 up or 1-0 down. If you don’t take risks, you’ll never get the rewards so we’ll be looking to play out from the back at times, pass around teams and create opportunities.”
Adam Cooper, who spent time with the club last season as a first-team coach, will come in as Tullin’s assistant and he’s also looking to add another member to his backroom team, particularly to work with Bosworth and the goalkeepers.
“I worked swiftly to bring in someone who I know I can trust. I’ve known Coops for a long time, we started out in the Nuneaton Borough youth team together.
“He’s got his particular strengths including conditioning and his knowledge of the non-league game, so I’m over the moon to have him. A lot of the lads from last season know him and have a lot of respect for him.”
