Brave decision over Cameron paid off

1:12pm Friday 9th May 2008

Comments (12)   Have your say »

It was an ultimately successful season for the Horsfall Stadium outfit as they gained the promotion to the UniBond Premier Division that chief executive Bob Blackburn demanded.

The millionaire building and property tycoon bought the major shareholding in the club towards the end of the previous season and sunk a significant amount into the team after the takeover.

He saw his new team fail in the play-offs but, instead of being downbeat, he immediately issued a statement that Avenue would win promotion in 2007-08. His word was his bond as Avenue stormed to the UniBond Division One title.

It was a bold promise to deliver promotion but he was confident and enthusiastic enough to make it happen.

It did not come without some casualties. As Sir Alex Ferguson is prone to saying You can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs'.

Blackburn brought Benny Phillips in to manage the team, funded his two assistants Lee Coathup and Wayne Porter and agreed to his list of transfer targets. Many of them came from Phillips' former club Witton Albion.

The travelling problems presented by having a squad mainly based in Merseyside and Manchester were solved by Blackburn.

He bought two mini-buses and had them painted in the club colours of green and white.

The only disappointments in the first half of the season were the October knock-out defeats, Avenue exiting the FA Trophy and FA Cup in consecutive weeks.

Both Sheffield (FA Trophy first-qualifying round) and Gainsborough Trinity (FA Cup fourth-qualifying round) won at Horsfall, which added to the frustration.

The league season was still on track and a Club of the Month award was soon picked up to lift any gloom.

As the season progressed, Curzon Ashton, Skelmersdale United and big-spending FC United of Manchester raised the bar.

Phillips appeared to be outfoxed and his team seemed lacklustre, which gave chief executive Blackburn, chairman Dr John Dean and director Kevin Hainsworth their first major problem.

The managerial team were called into a meeting and a decision was made to make changes.

There was an amusing side show as former Bantams boss Nicky Law applied for the job only to be told by his Conference North employers at Alfreton that he was contracted to them.

However, Avenue came out of a potentially embarrassing situation smelling of (white) roses. Changing midstream is dangerous but new man Dave Cameron swept almost all before him.

Cameron, who had only been player-coach at Rhyl, galvanised the whole club, breathed new life into the squad and they won the title with a game to spare.