Gary Monti brings in seven players in first week as Cornard United manager and confident new-look side can make a play-off charge

After bringing in seven players in his first few days as Cornard United’s manager Gary Monti is confident he can be the man to reawaken what he sees as a ‘sleeping giant’ in the Thurlow Nunn League First Division North.

The Ards fell to a 3-2 home defeat to his former club Wivenhoe Town on Saturday – whom he left after four years in charge in the summer to go to First Division South outfit Southend Manor – to leave them 10 points adrift of the play-offs places.

But after assessing the scene on Saturday, in what was the club’s fourth straight league defeat and sixth in all competitions, Monti is bullish about his chances of extending their season with a spot in the top five.

“I am really confident of getting them at least into the play-offs, providing we can get everyone there at training and games,” said the man who replaced Jack Wignall, following the latter resigning with assistant Lee Townrow over unrealistic expectations with a reduced budget.

"On paper I think we've got one of the strongest teams in the league. It's just getting them to gel and get them going again.

"They are a bit of a sleeping giant really. The facilities are very, very good there.

"They get a decent crowd and they deserve to be playing higher.

"I know the emphasis in the past has been on local players.

"I think they've found it hard in the past to attract players but it’s within striking range of Colchester and Chelmsford where a lot of payers will come from."

His centre-back partnership from his Southend Manor side, captain Ryan Culleton and Charlie Biggs, joined him while winger Scott Kemp came across from Hyebridge Swifts to link up with his brother again.

Midfielders Lewis Soraf, from Witham Town and Tom White, from Halstead Town, were also part of the new contingent that all went into the squad to face Wivenhoe, with the exception of O'Brien who was away on holiday.

“Most of these players have been with me at Wivenhoe and Southend,” said Monti, who left a Manor side ninth in the table to reduce his long commute and work in a catchment area he is more used to again.

“They're all good top-quality players. They're all players that are going to enhance the team.”

He added: "We're going to build a good team.

"We won't flood the place with players as we obviously want to keep some local lads there as well.

"It's just finding a system that suits all of the players and get them to gel."

With five new signings starting Saturday’s game, it was Wivenhoe who broke the deadlock early in the second half through Ben Parkin's header from a corner.

Debut goals followed from Tyler Kemp, against his old club, and substitute White before Ryan Lewis drew the visitors level.

What proved to be the winner then arrived for the Dragons via Bogdan Masnita.

"Saturday was a very experimental team that played but having said that they played very well,” said Monti.

"We created so many chances and the game should have been put to bed in the first half to be honest but we didn't and we lost because of it.”

It left Cornard in 13th spot ahead of travelling to a FC Parson Drove side on Saturday who lie seventh but having played four more games than the Suffolk side.

“It’s a long drive,” said Monti, “in all honesty I do not know a lot about the North league. I know Holland, Pegasus and Harwich from previous years but the rest of the teams I don't really know so it's a learning curve for the first few weeks.”

His backroom team has also seen an addition in numbers with Pete Travers joining as a coach following a spell at Halstead Town to work alongside his assistant John Thackray and fellow coach Joe Stevens.

Quizzed on the club’s budgetary constraints, off the back of seven new players arriving, he said: "There is a budget it is not a silly budget, it's not a budget anywhere near what I was told they had last season but for the level of football it's the right sized budget.

"It's not over the top and it's a budget we can work to and stick to."

Despite the incomings he said it was ‘a clean slate’ for players already at the club to prove themselves to win a shirt.