Wells City's ambition to climb the Western League pyramid appears renewed following the appointment of SteveMurray as first-team manager. He took over just before mid-October and has since overseen three successive league victories.

Murray said he was "more than happy with the reaction" from the squad he inherited, citing the 42 away win at OddDown and the clean league run since taking charge.

He added that while his priority lies with the league, Wells held Hellenic League leaders Slimbridge close in the FAVase and scored seven goals away at Radstock in a cup tie. He was less concerned about their LesPhillips Cup defeat to Welton Rovers, viewing it as a chance to rotate players and manage workload.

His motivation for taking the job was clear: he wanted to be a manager and felt Wells was "the right club at the right time". Having played for the club about 15years ago, the return felt "quite romantic".

The immediate objective is to succeed where previous seasons fell short, making the job ultimately "to try and go one better" than the club's consecutive playoff failures. He acknowledged that taking over now means recruitment is harder, but said he is satisfied with the squad he inherited and noted every player remaining "is here for the right reason".

As a reward for their strong league form, he gave the players the subsequent weekend off and assigned "homework" such as road runs.

Despite having lost six league games before mid-October, Murray believes the team — now firmly in playoff positions on merit — remains in the title discussion, noting they are only eight points behind leaders Devizes Town.

He said the team is still in the mix for "playoffs or promotion of any sort" this season. His own football journey saw him start at Wells around the age of 20; he describes himself as a goalscorer and previously had success with nearby StreetFC and CribbsFC.

Murray remains focused on an upcoming challenging week featuring fixtures against AEKBoco, SturminsterNewton and CadburyHeath, which he believes will show exactly "where we are".

• The full interview with Steve Murray can be found on episode 14 of the Jewson Western League Podcast, available through the leagues website.

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