Rich Bessey: ‘Stressful personal life’ led to my decision to quit ‘fantastic’ job at Fleetlands

Rich Bessey quit as Fleetlands manager because player availability was creating a ‘stressful personal life’.
Rich Bessey has quit as Fleetlands manager.
Picture: Chris MoorhouseRich Bessey has quit as Fleetlands manager.
Picture: Chris Moorhouse
Rich Bessey has quit as Fleetlands manager. Picture: Chris Moorhouse

But he still admits he’s ‘gutted’ at having left the Hampshire Premier Leaguers and doubts whether he will find a similarly exciting ‘project’.

‘You just wish that some people give you the same level of commitment that you give them, but that’s life unfortunately,’ he remarked.

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‘I’ve given so much time to football. Texting people in the evening, coming home unhappy if we’ve lost … it’s created a stressful personal life to the detriment of my children and my partner.

‘I need to relax and I need to be happy.

‘We’ve had injuries, players in the reserves don’t want to step up because they want to play with their friends, players I’ve tried to sign saying ‘no’ - it all adds to the toll.

‘Nobody knew before I rang the chairman (Iain Sellstrom) last Friday. Everyone’s been shocked - players have been asking me to stay.

‘I’m very impulsive - in life, in business, everything. I’ve found the last few weeks really hard, really stressful.

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‘Before the reserve game was called off, I only had 12 players last Saturday (at Meon in the Portsmouth Senior Cup). I can’t do that, I can’t stress myself out over amateur football.’

Bessey was appointed Fleetlands boss in the summer of 2019 after previously being at Liss Athletic and Paulsgrove - two clubs that didn’t have the facilities to progress to the Wessex League. Prior to that, he had managed Hayling United’s reserves and first team - when the latter were in the Wessex League – Petersfield Town Reserves and Horndean Reserves.

Fleetlands were fourth when the 2019/20 season was abandoned in the March due to the pandemic, while last season they only lost once in 12 games before Covid forced another early end in December.

This season, the Coptermen are lying fourth. Across the three seasons – none of which had been completed – Bessey won 29 of his 46 league matches – a 63 per cent success rate – drawing nine and losing just eight.

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‘I can walk away with my head held high,’ said Bessey. ‘Before, no-one really talked about Fleetlands. They lost 17-0 to Otterbourne in one game. But I’ve steadied the ship and taken them into title contenders.

‘I want to get into the Wessex League but I couldn’t see it being matched by the players’ commitment.

‘I’ll be chuffed to bits if they do go up, and I guess I’ll be gutted (not to be managing them in the Wessex), but you have to make a decision sometimes and it is what it is.’

Bessey said he doesn’t want to be out of football for too long, but stated: ‘I don’t know what else I would consider.

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‘Fleetlands have asked me to join the committee, but I’m a manager. Would I go in with someone else (as an assistant)? I’m not sure that’s me.

‘It might sound arrogant, but I’d like to see if there’s anything in the Wessex, but locally they all look out of reach.

‘I don’t see a side in the Hampshire League with an exciting project outside of Fleetlands. I get involved in football to plan and have a project, it’s not just a hobby. Sussex could be a bit too far for me.

‘I’m not going to make a rash decision out of respect to Fleetlands.’

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He has had two offers already - from clubs lower down than the Hampshire Premier League Senior Division - but will almost certainly turn them down.

Bessey, a Pompey season ticket holder, describes Fleetlands as a ‘fantastic’ club and admits: ‘Even if I was in a job, it’s a club I would consider leaving to join!

‘They have a great chairman who will back you, the top goalscorer in the league (Kelvin Robinson), the best centre half (Luke Heard) in the league, an exciting (clubhouse redevelopment) build.’