St Albans City assistant manager Chris Winton says his time at the club may have been short and filled with hardships at the wrong end of the National League South table but he is still thoroughly enjoying life.

His arrival at Clarence Park at the end of November brought his first experience of coaching at step two of the non-league pyramid but he has taken to the challenge with vigour.

“It’s been three months and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it,” said the former Walton Casuals coach.

“I live and breathe every minute of it and I want this club to go on and do very well.

“You want all your hard work to pay off on the pitch and it’s not always happened in games but we were in a good place as a group.

“It was pleasing to beat Braintree [before the season was suspended] as we’ve not always done that against the teams around us. We have beat the big boys though.

“But yeah, I love it. I love working with Ian and I love working with the rest of the staff and the players.”

How much the players enjoy his sessions should be asked of them, “I’m sure they’ll hammer me at some point,” he laughed, but his main goal on the training paddock is to get them enjoying their football while dragging every last drop out of them so that they can be the best versions of themselves.

He said: “We try and have sessions where they enjoy themselves and where they have a smile on their face.

“We want them to keep learning all the time and learn about the way we want to do things.

“They have took to it and we want to squeeze as much out of them as we can so they could be the best they could be.

“They have worked hard but I guess you’d have to ask them how they’ve felt things have gone.”

And he was full of praise for manager Ian Allinson, not just for giving him the job in the first place, but for the advice and knowledge he has passed across.

“He’s been like a mentor to me,” said Winton. “As a young coach coming to an environment like this it is always good to have someone of his experience and stature to bounce off and I’ve learned so much from him already.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity he has given me and wherever my career takes me I’d like to think he’d be a big influence.”