Tommy’s out to avoid Spartan tragedy

New manager Tommy Cassidy has said it would be a "Tragedy" if Blyth Spartans were relegated from the Blue Square North.

The 61-year-old was at Croft Park this evening to sign an 18-month contract - after being named as Steve Cuggy's successor last Friday.

Cassidy's first game will be the visit to Workington - one of his former clubs - on Boxing Day and he is hoping that his side can use this as the first game on the road to safety.

He said: "We're going to do our best, as it'd be a tragedy if Blyth went down. We need points, as - at the moment - it's going to be very difficult.

"If we can all get together and maybe try and get a couple of players in - then who knows?"

The former Newcastle and Northern Ireland midfielder revealed how it is going to be a battle to stay in the division, but that he is relishing the challenge of trying to get the club off the foot of the table.

Cassidy said: "I'm very happy about becoming the new manager of Blyth. It's one of the biggest non league clubs in the North of England.

"I've always kind of followed them - not as a supporter as such, but just because of their history and that.

"Blyth is a huge club that means a lot to a lot of people. I firmly believe that if Blyth were in the Conference Premier, then they'd be getting crowds of 1500 to 2000.

"I'm looking forward to it. You don't have to be a genius to work out that we only have 12 points out of 60 and it's going to be a real battle.

"If we can scrape through and stay up on goal difference, then I would take that now."

Despite just two wins from 20 league games, Cassidy is refusing to say it is a perfect time for him to come in.

Cassidy said: "Managers always say that, to try and take the pressure off. If we were to go down, then I'm not going to turn around and say 'Well we only had 12 points from 60 before I joined.

"There's still a chance for us to stay up, however, this league is very difficult. It's a lot more difficult than it was seven or eight years ago, so it's imperative that we start getting points on the board - regardless of how we play."

The ex-Glentoran, Workington, Newcastle Blue Star and Whitby Town manager also said that it was important to have the players training in the right way.

Cassidy said: "I'm a great believer that you have to have the right players at this level.

"At the top, you can coach them, by training five days a week with full-time pros. In this league, we train for two hours a week.

"The key is to get the right players in during pre-season. Now I'm not trying to pass the buck, but if you get the right sorts of players in in pre-season, it's a massive help."

"However, that's gone now. It's the middle of the season now, so I've just got to motivate them to play at their maximum and, hopefully, that's good enough."