Hawks will prove they are here to stay in National League
Gale has been around enough, however, to recognise that it will take a lot of hard work.
His comments after the recent 4-0 defeat at Bromley were apt and very telling.
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Hide AdStanding at the mouth of the players tunnel he admitted: '˜It was never going to be easy.'
So far that has certainly been the case.
After 10 games the Hawks find themselves in 20th position one place above the relegation zone.
'˜As a club we have worked hard to get where we are,' said Gale.
'˜We are all determined to make sure that we stay where we are.
'˜From the start we knew that it will present a challenge.
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Hide Ad'˜In this league we are competing against teams that are full-time and have a lot of ex-Football League players.
'˜They are key factors and it is a big jump from Conference South to Conference National.
'˜It is almost another division of the Football League.
'˜Up until now we haven't got enough points but anyone who has watched us will say that we have held our own.
'˜We have just been punished for mistakes and the higher you go that is going to happen more.
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Hide Ad'˜You are up against better players and have to expect that.
'˜If we can eradicate the errors then with the group of lads we have got we still believe we are more than good enough to stay in this league.'
The 2-1 win against Aldershot Town, a first home win of the season, gave the Hawks a huge boost.
Though they lost 3-2 at Harrogate Town on Saturday they produced another competitive performance.
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Hide AdNot for the first time this season the Hawks were denied a reward they felt they fully deserved.
For much of the game they more than matched the unbeaten league leaders on their own patch.
'˜We don't even think about going back out of this league,'Â said Gale.
'˜It was a heck of a hard job getting here and it has taken a long long time.
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Hide Ad'˜We will be doing all that we can to stay in it and I believe we will do it.
'˜I have been with the club for 18 years as a player, coach, manager and assistant manager.
'˜The club has made massive strides in that time and that is down to all the hard work put in by everyone at the club.
'˜That isn't going to change.'