IT is very much business as usual at Bracknell Town despite a switch of manager, writes Dave Wright.

“There will be no big changes as I feel the club is going in the right direction,” revealed Geoff Warner, who last week stepped up from head coach after centre-back Carl Davies had relinquished the manager’s duties with his assistant, Gavin Smith, also stepping down.

“On match days, Carl didn’t get much involved in the team talk. He said his bit, but me and Gav used to do the team talks before the game and at half-time, so from that point of view I am just carrying on what I have done before, but I now have Butch (Michael Butcher) helping me.”

Their first Bostik League game against Hayes & Yeading at Larges Lane, however, did not go quite as smoothly as they would have wished last Saturday.

“We got stuck in traffic on the M4 and didn’t arrive at the ground until five-past-two, so the warm-up and team talk were delayed a bit and that put us behind a bit,” explained Warner.

And his Robins were then caught cold with Jonny Hathaway conceding a penalty within 30 seconds of the kick-off, enabling the visitors to take an early lead.

But Warner was quick to praise his right-back, saying: “To give away a penalty that early could have unnerved a young player like him, but Jonny responded well and had a good game, so all credit to him.”

The new manager also gave the thumbs up to the rest of his team after they had secured a 3-3 draw in a game which saw them lead 2-1 with a Seb Bowerman brace and trail 3-2 before snatching a late equaliser through Harrison Bayley.

“There were some really good performances,” Warner told the News.

“Joe Grant and Adam Cornell up front did really well. Granty was a constant threat although it didn’t always come off for him.

“Jamie (McClurg) and Harrison were excellent in the middle of the field, so we have a lot to build on as we go forward. It’s upwards and onwards for us.

“Goalkeeper Mark Scott is at a different level. He is the best I’ve seen in this league this season by a mile.”

Warner continued: “I thought we played well, first half in particular.

“We dominated the midfield area and were on top.

“We conceded a couple of poor goals, but we did well to get back and score that third goal. We got a point in the end, but it was a bit disappointing as I felt it was a game we could have won.”

Bracknell, however, were not pleased with the match officials as it looked a wrong decision led to Hayes scoring their second goal.

Play was deep in the visitors’ half when Grant, who moments earlier had been pulled down when breaking clear, intercepted a pass from an opponent, only to see a referee’s assistant flag him offside.

From the free-kick, Hayes broke swiftly and it led to them scoring.

“That’s the way things are for us at the moment,” bemoaned Warner.

“On another day, I am sure we would have got a free-kick for the foul on Joe and the ref would have shown the red card, and that would have set us up for the game.”

Bracknell officials said the referee later admitted he had made the wrong decision over the offside call.

Warner also praised the excellent support his side are receiving.

The attendance on Saturday of 338 was the second highest in all Step 4 games, only bettered by the 493 who saw Guernsey lose 2-0 at home to Hythe in Bostik League South East Division;

“Our fans are unbelievable, the support we are getting is fantastic,” continued Warner.

One concern for the new manager is player availability in the lead up to Christmas and he may try to bring in one or two loan signings to keep his squad up to strength.

Town should get another large crowd this Saturday when they host Marlow in a top-of-the-table clash (3pm ko).