‘I don’t miss the hassle and grief of managing’ – former Gosport and Portchester boss Mick Catlin is appointed Horndean chairman

The former Gosport Borough and AFC Portchester manager is one of the most experienced figures in the Hampshire-based amateur game.

After being appointed general manager at Horndean last summer, Purbrook-based Catlin has now been voted in as the Wessex League Premier Division club’s chairman.

He has replaced David Sagar, who has held the role for 13 years and who is remaining at Five Heads Park as secretary.

Since returning to the club where he started out as a player in the mid 1980s, Catlin has been involved with trying to recruit sponsors, helping manager Michael Birmingham bring in new players, and organise the Deans’ band of volunteers.

All this with a view to helping the club reach their ultimate goal of Southern League football.

Catlin’s last managerial role ended in October 2020 when he was sacked after Portchester’s poor start to the season. He had been at the club since January 2018.

Asked if he missed managing, he replied: ‘I do and I don’t.

‘I don’t miss the hassle and the grief, but I do miss the coaching side and working with the players.

‘But I still have an input working with the staff, making sure the football side of things has everything it needs.

‘It still gives me the same sort of buzz when we win games. It’s the next best thing.’

Catlin added: ‘I was a bit fed up when I left Portchester. I was open-minded (about staying in management) but I had a call from Michael Birmingham who told me what he was looking for.

‘The club means a lot to me - I always thought I’d put a bit back one day - and I felt the role would be something I could be good at.

‘I felt it was time to do something different.

‘I still do some coaching if I’m asked, but there’s not much time to do it! There’s always something that needs doing at a football club.

‘The main thing is making sure it’s sustainable - that’s success in itself.

‘We have to generate more than we spend. Making sure it’s sustainable is a key role.’

Catlin’s second Wessex League season at Horndean starts tonight with an attractive home fixture against Moneyfields - the club where he applied for the manager’s role last year before it was given to Glenn Turnbull.

‘We want to get promoted, that’s the aim. But it’s going to be a tough league,’ Catlin stated. ‘Portchester have recruited well, they will be the favourites. Shaftesbury will be strong, Moneyfields will be strong.

‘I’d say it’s wide open. Last year Hamworthy were head and shoulders above everyone, they only lost one game, but I don’t think that will be the case this season.

‘There’s a lot of clubs aiming for the same goal. We feel we are in a good position to mount a challenge.

‘I’ve got experience of the next level, and hopefully I can use my experience to get us there. And if we go up, we want to be competitive at that level. That means we have to be prepared.

Horndean splashed out to improve their floodlights last year, and the addition of more seats is the main requirement for Southern League football.

Step 5 football would also result in hugely increased travelling expenses - this season’s Southern League Division 1 South includes clubs on the edge of Cornwall (Tavistock), north Devon (Bideford) and Worcestershire (Evesham).

‘You can’t fund it based on crowds, though since Covid our crowds have gone up significantly. We hope that continues this year, but we have to make the product attractive.’

Catlin summed up: ‘Players want to play for ambitious clubs. Players don’t want to stand still. And if we want the players to be ambitious, we have to be ambitious too. That’s what we will be trying to do.’