THE opportunity to take his first steps in management may have come sooner than expected for Danny Pattinson, yet he could hardly have asked for a better start to life in the dugout at Millom.

Since taking over as player-manager in the summer, Pattinson has guided the team to seven wins from seven in the West Lancashire League Division Two and a 3-2 victory over Daten in the Lancashire Amateur Shield last Saturday.

The former Holker Old Boys and Haverigg United midfielder had already been combining coaching with playing at Hanna Field last season, but admitted he did not expect to be stepping up to management so soon.

“I said to the club when I took it, this opportunity probably came five years too early, but the vacancy notice was put out there and there wasn’t much interest, and I said I wouldn’t ever see my club go without,” said Pattinson.

“I said I wanted to be there in the future, but if everyone at the club was happy then I’d take the job on.

“I’d done a lot of training last season for them, so it was just a case of getting used to doing team-talks and setting up on match-day. It’s started quite well and I couldn’t have asked for much more.”

Pattinson puts the impressive start down to having the right blend of youth and experience, with old heads like skipper Matty Towler and prolific striker Carl Waters combining with youngsters such as Theo Wilson, Jordan Williams, Ben McDonald and the manager’s brother Jamie.

The win over Cheshire League outfit Daten further cemented Pattinson’s belief there are plenty of players at Millom who could play at a higher level, particularly as it came against an unfamiliar opponent.

“I’d say all of the team could play at a higher level and that showed on Saturday when we played Daten and beat them comfortably. Even though the scoreline was close, the game was very one-sided,” said Pattinson.

“I’ve said to the lads in the changing room numerous times, they’ve just got to believe in themselves and everyone can play at a higher standard.

“It was going into the unknown and I did as much research as I could over social media, but I said to the lads as long as we do what we’ve started and keep playing how we’re playing, we’ve got no reason to fear anyone.”

Millom do not have a game tomorrow, but return to action a week later at home to Kendal United, followed by a trip to Walney Island in the second round of the Amateur Shield. And while Division Two leaders Ladybridge are the only team above them at the moment, Pattinson is wary of the danger posed by the other sides in the league.

“We don’t want to be looking too far ahead and we don’t want to be just looking at Ladybridge because there are plenty of good teams in that league,” said Pattinson.

“You’ve got the likes of Leyland and other teams who can cause damage on their day, so we’ll just see how it goes and re-assess at Christmas. I’d like to see where we are then and go from there.”

Tomorrow’s West Lancs League action sees Vickerstown host Premier Division Leaders Blackpool Wren Rovers, and a derby clash between GSK Ulverston Rangers and Askam United in Division One - along with Crooklands Casuals hosting Wyre Villa.

In Division Two, Dalton United welcome Tempest United reserves, and Walney and Furness Rovers are on the road at Ladybridge and Padiham reserves respectively.