Soham Town Rangers’ new manager Alex Cross not plotting wholesale changes after winning match in charge at Hadleigh United

New Soham Town Rangers manager Alex Cross does not believe wholesale changes are required to turn the side that he has inherited into a competitive force in the Thurlow Nunn League Premier Division.

The Greens ended their search for Brett Whaley’s successor last week with the appointment of King’s Lynn Town’s academy director Cross, who has arrived at Julius Martin Lane with a wealth of his experience on his CV.

The UEFA-licenced coach has previously held various roles within the youth set-ups at Cambridge United, Notts County and Boston United, as well as being academy manager at Bradford Park Avenue and assistant manager and opposition scout at AFC Stamford.

And his impact was instant as Soham chalked up a 3-1 victory on the road at Hadleigh United on Saturday – their first away win since mid-September.

“We trained for the first time together on Thursday and it was great to see that implemented on the Saturday at Hadleigh,” said Cross.

“They’re a good group of players that perhaps just need a bit of guidance on their own personal game and how we want to do things collectively.

“I honestly don’t believe the squad we’ve got is a million miles away. We won on Saturday without Ryan Sharman (suspended) with three different scorers, which shows the quality we’ve got.

“I think we’d benefit from one or two additions, just to add some competition for places, especially in areas where we are light.

“We’ve identified some targets and some seven-dayers have gone in, but I’m also very keen to work with the group that is already here. I just feel some new faces will help to accelerate the process.”

In the long term, Cross is hoping to steer Soham back to Step 4 following their relegation in 2022.

However, of more immediate concern is ensuring that the fanbase are entertained by what they see out on the pitch.

“The club has got aspirations to get back to Step 4 and that aligns with what I want, but right now we need to accept we’re a Step 5 club,” he added.

“The new committee, chairman and myself as manager are all looking in the same direction and I don’t think it needs major surgery.

“But my main job is about three points, which we got on Saturday. We had a really good following and it was great for them to see such a good performance.

“I want my teams to work hard and leave everything on the pitch. We’ll be robust and we want to have control, in and out of possession.

“I’m really looking forward to welcoming the fans to games and to give them something to be excited by.

“We want to be challenging in the future, but this season we’re looking to beat last year’s points tally. We’re 25 off that at the moment, so that’s this season’s remit.”

As well as his responsibilities with Soham, Cross will continue to oversee the academy at King’s Lynn.

However, rather than foreseeing any issues, Cross is confident that he will be able to juggle the two jobs.

He said: “I think the football club has not had the links with the local higher-league clubs that it would have liked in recent years.

“And that’s not just Lynn, but also the likes of Cambridge and Peterborough as well.

“If we get the chance to bring in some talented young players with my contacts then great, but we also have a great EJA set-up and an under-18s that are mainly made of under-17s, so there are a lot of good youngsters already at Soham.

“My job at Lynn is to ensure the academy continues to move in the right direction, while day-to-day I look after and run the Under-23s. I get to see all of the local young talent that may be available, which is only a good thing.

“But as I say, we don’t need massive change at Soham and as I’ve already said to the squad, they’re the ones in the shirt at the moment and they can keep hold of it with their performances.”

With no game this weekend, Cross was set to cast another eye over his new squad last night when they hosted Lynn’s Under-23s in a friendly. His next competitive fixture in charge will be on Saturday, November 25 when Kirkley & Pakefield will be the visitors to Julius Martin Lane. Meanwhile, Soham have been drawn at home to Newmarket Town in the quarter-finals of the Cambridgeshire Invitation Cup on December 5.