By Steffan Coutts
Fauldhouse gaffer Jon Connolly has performed at all levels and has been around the proverbial footballing block, he’s ‘a well kent face’ on social media and is affectionally known as JC to everyone who knows him and his lovable rogue character.
But his hardest challenge to date has been transforming from goalkeeper to player-manager to all out boss after taking over the Hoose reins at the tail end of the 2016-17 season as they were on the verge of relegation to the East Premier League.
Fast forward a year and the 37-year-old former stopper has risen to all challenges and defied the odds to secure promotion back to the East Super League after just a season away.It’s been an impressive maiden season for JC and his underdogs with the securing of promotion, and progress in the three major cup competitions that was cruelly ended by just the one goal in each match, which shows how fine the margin is at this level.
And now the season is over JC has had some time to reflect on the past year and how it has affected him as a person on and off the field.He told GoalmouthScramble:
“I’ve enjoyed my first full season in charge and it’s new to me and the coaching staff and what I’ve noticed is my own full-time job has taken a wee bit of a back seat.
“I used to hear gaffers saying do this and that and it’s a 24/7 job and I thought ‘aye right, no bother’, but it is and you deal with everything and everyone and it’s challenging.
“To be fair I’ve been speaking to other gaffers like Pollok FC’s Tony McInally and Mark Cameron who has been different class and when I took the job came in and helped with training and gave me pointers.
“I have some good contacts who I speak to every week and they’re at the top end of the game and very supportive and I can’t complain as every little helps.
“And looking back everything I’ve been through has taken a while to sink in because I’m quite stubborn but I’ve a new appreciation for managers as everything is 24/7 – I’m lucky as my family is very supportive and so is my manager from my job.
“I’m looking to do my badges next season as well as it’s a requirement and it may help me further down the line if I want to do something else.
“We’re looking at the bigger picture as Fauldhouse are now in the top league and when you look at the bigger picture then we’re trying to strengthen for the next challenge.
“Now we’re back in the top league it’ll be a lot easier to attract better players to the club plus we’ve got quite a few players travelling some distance to get to View Park.
“We know what we need and how we get about it I mean last pre-season was a nightmare as I started with three players and we just let the rest go then brought the rest in.
“To do that and achieve promotion to the top flight in our first attempt and when you strip everything back is some achievement for the club.
“Planning for this season was done and we we’ve played on the park is that we’re a team full of energy that likes to get the ball down and knock it sharp and it’s worked.
“The club gave me a five year deal and that’s the first year of it completed and I’d say we’re a wee bit ahead of where we wanted to be and to be honest we didn’t think we would win the league but second was obtainable.
“And to finish with automatic promotion considering with what we’ve had to do by stripping everything right back including me coming out of retirement to play in goals is some achievement.”
Junior football:
“You don’t know which way the Junior game is going to go now as it’s a touchy subject but the game could do with an injection of new blood to freshen things up after the shake up.
“We looked at the situation and to be honest the travelling is not ideal to stay in the Super League but you’re going into something that’s unknown.
“So we’ll let the other teams jump and we’ll go into the Super League no problem and I actually see them leaving giving us an opportunity to do something and that’s not just staying up but making a difference.
“With what I’ve got here and what I can bring in I’m looking to progress and if you win that league next season then you’re straight into the Scottish Cup – the teams that have left need to wait years before they can even do that now.
“To be fair to us we had the chat about staying or leaving but staying gives us a chance to do something within the Junior game and try to make Fauldhouse a bigger club and a bigger name in the game.”
GoalmouthScramble 