Wealdstone manager Sam Cox confessed his chairman told him that avoiding relegation would be “working miracles” with the squad as his side push for the play-offs in the National League.
The north-west London side sit in ninth place, four points off Southend in the last play-off position with promotion to League Two becoming a real possibility.
It’s just two defeats in the last 14 matches for Cox in all competitions and after early doubts over their future in the league, the ex-Tottenham academy player is confident in his side’s identity moving towards the season’s halfway mark.
He said: “When I signed my deal, the chairman said to me, “if you finish one place above the bottom four you’ve worked miracles with the budget we’ve got.”
“We were expected to be rock bottom of the league at this time in the season.
“We’ve got the lowest budget in the division, but we know who we are and we’re exceeding expectations as it stands,” Cox added.
Indeed, last season Wealdstone did finish the 2024/25 National League season one point above the relegation zone in 20th – but the club’s growth was expected to stagnate.
The Stones are 12 points above the bottom four after 20 matches, defying the bookies’ odds, which saw them favorites to go down.
Wealdstone take on Grimsby in round two of the FA Cup in two weeks and Cox, 35, is already looking ahead to the potential of a third round tie and a fight for the top places in the league.
He said: “It’ll be great. The possibility of being in round three of the FA Cup and the prospect of a potential Premier League match-up would be an absolute dream.
“My personal ambition – I just want to finish as high up in the table as possible and we have a real belief in the dressing room of what we can achieve this year.
“Let’s go quietly about our business and see where it takes us.”
Sak Hassan signed for the club in the summer from Hashtag United and he’s starting to make an impact, also notably at international level too with Somalia – guiding his country to their first win in all competitions in six years with two assists in a 2-1 win over Bahrain this November.
Cox said: “Hopefully this time next year, he’ll be attracting clubs at a high level.
“The work he’s putting in is showing in his international football now with Somalia. The assist that he made, it was unbelievable.
“We brought him in from Hashtag United and he’s come in and is doing really well now. I think it’s taken him three or four months to adapt to the level.
“It’s not an easy step up, it’s a more professional environment, faster tempo, more physical – so he’s had to learn and his standards have improved.
“He’s seeing the benefits now and is reaping the fruit off the back of his hard work.”
Cox is also managing Yanited with influencer Angry Ginge in the Baller League – a six-a-side competition at the Copper Box Arena in London – and after Angry Ginge joined the jungle for ‘I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!‘, the Wealdstone manager has taken on the main role for now and explained what he can bring that is different to Ginge.
He said: “Having that football experience, having worked with a lot of these boys previously, the understanding of what each player brings and having an insight to that side.”
Cox also had some words on how his friend is getting on in the jungle.
He added: “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in there till the end, to be honest.
“He’s a top man and I think his personality is really coming through. I’m buzzing for him.”
Featured image credit: Baller League
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