Phil Parkinson's Altrincham may have to be the 'bad guys' at Morecambe as they look to continue National League progress

As the National League gets set for a Bank Holiday double-header, all eyes will be on Morecombe on Saturday lunchtime as the Shrimps finally get their season underway following a summer of turmoil at the club. 

The Lancashire side had to postpone the first three games of the season as they anxiously waited for a new takeover to be given the green light. At one point they were in danger of not being part of the season at all. 

However, they'll host their first game of the campaign this weekend as they welcome Altrincham - live on DAZN - in what will be a day of relief and celebration as they can finally look forward to a new era at the club. 

There'll be plenty of support for new boss Ashvir Singh Johal, but among the celebrations, his opposite number Phil Parkinson knows his team have to be the party poopers as they concentrate on their own ambitions for the game and the season ahead. 
 

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"I hope we're not helping them celebrate," the Altrincham boss quipped as he exclusively spoke to me for DAZN News. 

"It was a really difficult one because I wasn't sure if they would have been able to get the game on. I don't know how many players they've actually got registered.

"Obviously, they're confident they'll have enough for Saturday because they're selling tickets.

"So we certainly didn't want to be the bad guys of forcing their hand to play a game. But we obviously want to play every game we can because we don't want a fixture pile-up as well.

"But yeah, it's great for Morecambe, isn't it? No one wants to see them in that position. We're all in the same game as much as we're fierce rivals at the weekend. We're all in the same boat.

"We all face similar challenges. Obviously, there can be extremities of that. And it's great to see that they've got back on their feet."

Parkinson - a rare thing in football

It's another challenge to add to a tenure that has seen Parkinson become the longest-serving manager in the club's history - and what a success it's been, too. 

In the eight years that he's been in charge, he's taken the club from the Northern Premier League, all the way to the National League play-offs, transforming the Robins from part-time to a full-time outfit and regularly competing with the bigger spenders in the league. 

This year, he faces perhaps the most competitive National League yet, given the names of the clubs and personnel involved. Yet, Parkinson remains as dogged as ever to rise to the challenge, to put credit on his name and reveals how the level of standards has increased throughout the fifth tier. 



"I think it's been like that for a couple of seasons now," he said. 

"I mean, the amount of Premiership or ex-Premiership players I've come up against as a manager and I'll be honest with you, they don't even know who I am a lot of the time, so you're shaking your head.

"But when you beat them at the end, they remember you then. And that's how it's been for me. I've had to earn my stripes, the archetypal underdog as a manager probably.

"But because I've been here so long, people forget that. So it's been brilliant, the people you meet are fantastic. Everything's fiercely competitive.

"Everybody's really organised. I don't think there is any poor coaches anymore. So, you probably get some people just living by their reputation. You just don't last very long if you do that.Atrincham/X

"Everyone's got to work exceptionally hard. It's the same in any walk of life, any business. And the National League in particular. And even the divisions below, the standards are getting better and better in non-league. So it's really exciting to be a part of.

"You know you can't take your eye off the ball, take your foot off the gas, because if you do, someone will overtake you. And that's just how I like it. I love that kind of cutthroat environment." 

It's an environment that's proved to be tricky to get out of, especially with only two clubs earning promotion - something Parkinson would like to see changed to three in the future - but the 44-year-old is realistic when it comes to expectations at Altrincham. 

This summer has seen another transfer window of change as players move on to bigger things, and it's a cycle the boss has made part of his make-up. 

However, despite being under no illusion that investment is always key, his ambitions remain high, and promotion is still something he believes Altrincham should be aiming for long-term. 
 

"It's all to do with the ambition of the board, because it takes deep pockets. There's no getting away from that.

"So we don't have the fan base to support a self-sustainable model right now. And that's just the pure facts of it 

"Everyone can see what it takes. It takes major investment. So our first aim has always got to be to survive, but it's certainly not the bigger picture. 

"The board want playoffs. They want promotion. I certainly want that or I would have gone a long time ago.

"As I said, their ambitions have matched mine. As long as that stays the same, I can see us being successful. 

"But as much as I'm saying we're ambitious, we've got to survive in the division, and then we've got to thrive, and it's got to go in that order.

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