Adie Aymes has promised his Fleet players that he will not be a sergeant major in training - and he may even play!
Hampshire wicketkeeper Aymes and former Saint Mark Dennis took charge of their first training session as Fleet's new managerial duo last night and tomorrow they take charge of their first game, when Spalding visit Calthorpe Park for a Dr Martens Eastern Division clash.
Fleet chairman Martin Griffiths, the chairman of Aymes' benefit committee two years ago, contacted the pair after Steve Beeks resigned as boss last month.
And former Gosport Borough and Lymington & New Milton midfielder Aymes met the Fleet players for the first time with cricket fanatic Dennis before the north Hampshire club's FA Trophy exit at Epsom on Wednesday night.
Southampton-born Aymes, 38, has a year left on his Hampshire contract but for the moment he is just concerned with helping Dennis steer fourth from bottom Fleet away from the bottom two.
That, though, will not involve tortuous training sessions from the martial arts expert, who Dennis has described as the fittest man in Hampshire.
Dad-of-one Aymes, who had a trial with Bristol City at the age of 23, has a gym at his home in Bitterne. But he said: "When I was younger I hated football training. That might be surprising to some people now but it's true, whenever we had to do the serious fitness work I feigned injury! I loved juggling and passing the ball, I did plenty of that, but I never liked running around the pitch.
"Mark has asked me to look after the fitness side of things and I want to make sure that the players enjoy the training sessions. My wicketkeeping knowledge could help our goalkeepers but the priority out on the pitch is to pass and move.
"Mark and I have a lot of ideas but we both have the same objective, to get the players scoring goals and moving up the table while playing good football.
"It's a temporary arrangement but we'll see how both parties find it. It's certainly a change for me, I've spent most of my winters training on my own so I won't get nearly as bored this way.
"The players are lacking in confidence at the moment, which is understandable because we've had an indifferent start, but we saw a lot of promising signs on Wednesday night.
"I like to think that Mark and I will do such a fantastic job that we won't need to play but although a possibility, it won't affect my cricket. If we're still in charge towards the end of the season, I'll just have to take a back seat."
Once Aymes established himself as Hampshire's number one wicketkeeper in the early nineties, he more than made up for any disappointment at missing out on a career in league football.
He added: "I've always loved both sports but when I was younger I preferred football before I did my cartilage while playing for Gosport Borough in 1988-89.
"I'd had trials with Bristol City and was supposed to go back and play for their reserves again but that injury put paid to any prospect of a professional football career."
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