DAVE Diaper believes working for yourself is a major plus when it comes to running a non-League team.

As managing director of BSA Regal Electrical Services, Diaper had the flexibility to balance work and business commitments during 14 successful years as Sholing boss which culminated in May’s FA Vase triumph at Wembley.

And that, along with having control of the playing budget in his dual role as chairman, gave him a huge advantage over his recently departed successors Mick Marsh and Dave Fear. With Wembley seemingly the last stop on his managerial journey, Diaper moved upstairs as director of football over the summer, handing the team reins to trusty coach Marsh and successful reserve team boss Fear.

But it proved something of a poisoned chalice for the two long-serving clubmen who won just three and drew five of 15 league games in charge before Diaper reclaimed control.

“The club itself is going through a transitional period and it was always going to be hard work for any manager taking over.

“Mick has a demanding job outside football and was finding it increasingly difficult to fulfil his duties as manager.

“I just think that the most successful managers are the ones who work for themselves.

“The amount of work that’s needed to run a side is massive, especially in the Southern League, and if you’re working for someone else your time is very limited.

“To be a successful manager at this level you have to be very committed, but you need the time to be able to do that.

“I get on the phone speaking to people like Alex Pike at Gosport, but I do it in my lunch break or I get into work at seven in the morning to compensate. But I’m my own boss and not everyone’s in a position to do that.”

Diaper himself will not have quite as much time to devote to the job this time round, which is where the appointment of former Totton & Eling boss Stuart Hussey as assistant manager comes in handy.

“I’ve got certain business commitments coming up and I will need to delegate more, but that’s healthy,” he said. “Stu has got experience at management level and he can also do the coaching.

“When Mick and Dave were managing, it wasn’t a case of me looking over their shoulder all the time.

“But being chairman of the club, I still have opinions and it’s difficult to leave it alone.

“The only way I could do that would be to leave the club completely. But if you live and die football and it’s in the bones, it’s very hard to walk away.”

The break-up of the FA Vase-winning team, allied to rotten luck with injuries, made life particularly tough for Marsh and Fear who had the added challenge of moving back up from the Wessex to the Southern League.

A major squad rebuilding job is called for and Diaper feels he is best placed to do it.

“It’s easier for me to manage because I deal with the budget and I know exactly what’s available to spend, so I can ring players and that’s that,” he said.

“But if you’re a manager who’s not in control of the budget etc., it’s difficult.

“Experience off the park helps and that’s why it works for me and Sholing.”