On 22nd May 2023, Banbury Fans received the news that Andy Whing had announced his resignation after 3 successful years. With the news breaking out at 5pm this has caused the Puritans to feel truly gutted and much-lamented conclusion to Andy's time at the club, which had resulted in a period of great success for Banbury United, and Andy's role in driving the club forward is highly regarded.
This blog post serves as a tribute to Andy and the impact he had during his tenure; undoubtedly, Andy has stooked his claim as the greatest manager in the club's 92-year history, with only the great Jimmy Cringan providing stern competition due to his impressive 25 year tenure. However, Andy has produced many accomplishments on and off the pitch which has changed the whole culture of the club shifting the mentality to mediocrity in the southern League to swerving relegation in the National League North.
On May 12th, 2020, amidst the pandemic, the spirits were raised in North Oxfordshire as the puritans were elated to hear the announcement of the appointment of Andy Whing as the Club’s First-Team Manager. Upon his arrival, Andy established ambition for both on and off-field successes. He quoted at start of his reign "I am looking forward to developing a club that the community and fans can be proud of.” Since then, the local community has been brought even closer together and fan participation has notably increased, with a 215.3% rise in attendance figures from 2015-16 to present. This serves as a testament to Andy Whing’s efforts in creating a young, energetic, and football-driven side. Additionally, memberships have more than tripled since the beginning of Andy Whing’s reign, indicative of his impact in terms of ambition. With the rise in attendance and memberships, it can be seen that Andy has embraced a growth mindset by positively influencing the terraces and driving the Club away from mediocracy at Step 3 to helping fans visit an array of Ex-football league grounds as the club got to compete with the likes of Darlington and Chester on a equal level for the first time.
On the Pitch, Banbury United have proudly experienced a period of record-breaking success in recent years under the leadership of Manager Andy Whing. This has seen the club reach its highest-ever spot in the football pyramid, secure a centurion league title win, and make two FA Cup first round proper appearances. Alongside all of the glory the club has witnessed, the fans have also been rewarded by watching an attractive, attacking brand of football promoted by Whing and his coaching staff. This has been a contributing factor which has resulted in interest from young players, eager to use Banbury as a platform to showcase their talent. This ambition and encouragement have enabled the club to attract top talent such as Cody Johnson, courtesy of Stockport County, who had identified the quality of development that Banbury provides to its young players. Ultimately, Whing and his team had instilled a culture of ambition and opportunity throughout the football club, providing an effective pathway for success. This pathway to success led to the club receiving two transfer fees for Morgan Roberts and Jack Stevens alongside two other centurions in chris Wreh and James Golding go onto full time football. Overall, the culture Whingy made on the pitch helped fans be proud to watch their local beloved side in Banbury United as they got to watch top talent put on a show everywhere they went.
Fa cup
After 47 years of not reaching the FA Cup 1st round proper, Andy Whing achieved this feat in only 7 months with Banbury United making an appearance against Canvey Island at home in November 2020. Despite the defeat and the season being cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic, the club's ambition remained strong. The following season the club achieved consecutive FA Cup 1st round proper appearances since 72-73 & 73-74 seasons, resulting in the whole community coming out and televised support from ITV, thus putting Banbury United on the map versus league two opposition in Barrow football club. Despite the defeat, it showed the club's mass potential in terms of both their brand of football and capturing the hearts of the community as the success was fully endorsed due to the efforts of Andy Whing at OX16.
Southern League
Whings first season in charge came to a halt due to Coronavirus after just 7 games. This gave Andy a chance to dip his toes in the water and understand the demands of step 3, so he was ready to go when given green light the following season. With the Non-league scene inactive for 10 Months, this meant Whingy was over a year in charge with only 7 league games under his belt, Yet the extended period of time granted Andy the opportunity to build the ideal team ready to go in the 2021/22 season.
Banbury came off to a strong start, going on an impressive 19-game unbeaten run in all competitions that was only halted by football league opposition in the FA Cup. Our first league defeat came in December, but the momentum they had gained from then saw them reach the top of the table, leading to an impressive 23-point gap with 5 games to spare and clinching the Southern League Central Division Championship. This captured the attention of local fans, leading to crowds that swelled past the 1,000 mark. On April 2nd, Banbury were crowned champions of the Southern League Central, delivering the unthinkable and creating scenes of joy and disbelief at the Spencer Stadium for the Tramway Army. This incredible feat solidified the mantra of "We Are United" between the town and the club, and the amazing scenes on the pitch at the end of the game were all down to one man - Andy Whing, whose passion and dedication drove the club to embark on a journey no one thought was possible prior to his reign.
National North League
Banbury completed the 22/23 season in 17th place in the National League North, a 7th place improvement on their placement in the footballing pyramid from the previous season. Andy Whing's managerial abilities led Banbury to compete and stay up with professional and hybrid teams, a feat which should be commended. Banbury had an impressive start to the season, sitting top of the table at the end of August. However, the sale of Morgan Roberts and Jack Stevens, coupled with a smaller budget than other teams in the league, saw the club struggle with player availability and injuries for the remainder of the season.
Despite this adversity, Banbury maintained their playing style, to much approval from opposing teams and fans who hailed them the best team they faced all season. Andy Whing's tactical knowledge and commitment to the club enabled him to keep Banbury in the league, even with minimal resources. However, even with all these factors the club experienced lot of great success stories too, such as defeating future champions AFC Fylde on home soil, coming from behind to win away from home against former Football League clubs Darlington and Hereford, and beating Kidderminster 2-0 with Andy Whing showing tremendous passion in front of the fans who will forever have an endearing love towards. These moments will always remain memorable as the first season at Step 2 was an exciting one. The aim now in despite Andy's absence, is to ensure we try and build on Andy successful foundations and cement our status at step 2.
Overall, my opinion here at Spencer Reds and I’m sure I echo a lot of puritans’ thoughts is that the job Andy did, during the season was a miracle. If there was a different manager in charge I feel we would of saw relegation as they would of not stuck to their principles like Andy did as well as not create the unity in the squad which was evidently seen. Andy Whing our Saviour!
Conclusion.
Overall, this blog was the hardest one to ever right and the words I put in this will never do Andy Whing justice and I felt I could write a million & one more things about our best ever manager so therefore this blog has been more of a generalised approach. Our King has taken a club from plateauing at step 3 to competing at step 2. Despite not having any hair, he has captured the hearts of all the Townenders who will forever be in debt to the man who put a smile on so many faces due to his loyalty and hard work at the club. His influence and memories will be fondly shared between generations to come, truly making a long-lasting mark on the club's fanbase.
I am 100% confident Andy will have the most successful career managing in the football league and other clubs will be lucky enough to endear their love towards him just like we have. I wish Andy and his team all the best in their careers, and I look forward to welcoming him back at the Spencer Stadium. Once a Puritan, Always a Puritan.
Andy Whing – Two FA Cup 1st round Apperances, 1 Centurion league title, Highest ever league finish, club Record Unbeaten streak and a fanbase who adores you.❤️💛
Thank you for reading
UTP
Spencer Reds
❤️💛