Building a bit of a reputation in lower-level leagues with my quick turnaround and promotion of Dartford, I was offered a job at Hemel Hempstead in the Vanerama National League but refused to stay with a familiar squad however, this decision could bite me later on as my squad wasnt as skilled. This season also saw the main issue at the club coming to light: we were not able to sign good enough players to the club. But the reason wasn’t because of reputation or the facilities; it was the board’s refusal to become a full-time professional club. Despite being in a rich financial position for a team in the English fifth division, they were not willing to promote their club status. This meant players could only earn part-time wages and drew a lot of interest away from the club.
This season was a rough one, but we were aided by the signing of Mehmet Hamlin on loan from West Ham. Seven goals in 12 matches was his contribution to the mid-table mediocrity of the club going into January. However, January was when tensions boiled over between the club’s board and me, and I finally decided I could move to a professional-level club. I decided to start applying for new jobs when the board made it clear I would not be welcome to stay another year. So I began to look for a new job.
The paredes job in the fourth tier of Portugal started calling my name. Another semi-professional club, yet when I began my interview they decided to make it a priority to become a professional club when I joined, as well as letting me get my coaching badges to get my managing attributes up. They wanted me to finish out the season with Dartford, and despite a late push in the direction of the playoffs, we landed in 9th.