SUCCESSION has been a theme of 2022 – and we’re not talking about the hit TV series.
We’ve had two prime ministers in Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak rise to the most powerful position in Britain.
And King Charles III ascended to the throne after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. It’s been quite the momentous year.
Over at Weymouth, however, the Terras have cheered their own succession with Bobby Wilkinson’s arrival as manager.
The club itself has also had two successions in 2022, with David Oldfield last January replacing Brian Stock as boss.
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Oldfield went on to last just seven months, winning only twice in 31 games as Weymouth were relegated from the National League.
In mitigation for Oldfield, he was extremely brave in taking on the job in the first place and then encountered the club’s financial problems during the summer.
This affected his recruitment ahead of the 2022/23 season and he departed by mutual consent just over one month into the new campaign, his final match being the 2-1 loss at Bath.
Step forward Wilkinson, who now had to rebuild Weymouth from bottom in the Vanarama National League South and with the same financial constraints and politics in the background.
Wilkinson won his first game as manager, the 3-1 win over Winchester City in the FA Cup, to make the perfect start.
The competition became a royal comfort for Wilkinson as victories over Welling and Havant booked Weymouth’s place in the first-round proper for the first time in 15 years.
Then came the extraordinary performances against League Two side AFC Wimbledon, with Weymouth battering the Dons at home and desperately unlucky only to draw 1-1.
They were much the better side in the first half of the replay, too, before defensive injuries allowed their EFL opponents to win 3-1.
Even after the much-needed tonic of a cup run, struggles in the league continued with just two wins by late November.
Injuries and illness were now taking their toll, but it is in adversity where you most find out about a manager.
Wilkinson’s exceptional work rate and insatiable appetite to win helped Weymouth take a 2-1 triumph at Welling not many could have envisaged.
It backed up the 1-0 win over Braintree and helped snowball a five-game unbeaten run that took the Terras above bottom for the first time since mid-August.
Wilkinson has a 43 per cent win rate, with nine victories in 21 matches and ten losses.
All this after Wilkinson had come to the Bob Lucas Stadium with a glowing reputation – so are Weymouth fans beginning to see his talent?
CEO Paul Maitland certainly thinks so. “I think he’s done remarkably well,” he told Echosport.
“He’s come into an incredibly difficult situation, back against the wall, and he’s picked the mantle up.
“He’s not shied away from anything, he’s changed the whole outlook of the club, its fans and everybody has a far more positive vibe.
“Since he’s come in he’s been a real breath of fresh air, he’s building a relationship with the fans and he’s very honest and up front.
“As supporters you often want that. Certainly, as a board, we appreciate his honesty and directness. Nobody is left in any doubt where they stand with him.
“He has high standards that he expects everybody to meet. He works incredibly hard and he expects everybody to match that.
“He’s a dream for us in terms of his work ethic and attitude.
“He’s slowly but surely turned the team round and results have started to come.”
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It seems Wilkinson has flooded the club with positivity in a way not seen since the days of Weymouth’s own king, legendary boss Mark Molesley, whose reign ended in 2020 after two promotions and three trophies.
Maitland has the rare distinction of having worked extremely closely with both Molesley and Wilkinson but refused to draw comparison between the two.
“I don’t think you can compare them and it’s wrong to compare them,” Maitland insisted.
“They’re in completely different eras. When Mark took over we’d just finished mid-table in the Southern Prem.
“What he did with back-to-back promotions was an incredible achievement.
“Whereas, Bobby’s come in and he’s having to pick up the pieces in a very different set of circumstances.
“We’d just suffered relegation, financially we were in a hole. We’re asking them to do two different things.
“Mark was building off much firmer building blocks, whereas Bobby’s had to rebuild the foundations to lay some blocks.
“Where they do compare is that they both work incredibly hard and driven. They’ve both got a clear vision of what it is they’re trying to achieve.
“That’s where the comparisons end, for me. They’re different people and Bobby’s exactly who this club needs at the moment.”
So, regardless of political or royal viewpoints, leaders come under the greatest scrutiny because they have the greatest power to affect change.
Wilkinson has undoubtedly set those wheels of change in motion at Weymouth.
Who knows, could he one day succeed King Molesley?
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