Plymouth Parkway boss Lee Hobbs on why he quit after seven years

The sign of a successful football manager is one that leaves a club in a better place than what they found it. And as Lee Hobbs reflects on his seven and a half years at Plymouth Parkway, he departs with his head high, safe in the knowledge the club is in the best state it has ever been.

Having replaced Kevin Hendy and Darren Stewart in January 2017, Hobbs already knew a bit about the club having served as assistant manager to Wayne Hillson. But the step up from assistant to main man was one he took in his stride as he set about realising the club’s vision of one day reaching the Southern League.

Now, having realised the dream with three promotions, numerous cup runs, many memorable afternoons and evenings at Bolitho Park – and a successful battle to avoid relegation in the most challenging of circumstances – Hobbs feels the time is right to walk away.

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“I had been a number two for a couple of years and I had been thinking of one day having my own job,” Hobbs said when reflecting on the day he joined. “The opportunity for that came up after the club sacked the previous manager and I was actually quite late to the application process, probably one of the last to apply because I sat and thought it over. It isn’t just a case of taking a job, you have to make sure that everything fits – can you work around it? Is the club the right one for you? But because I had been at the club previously with Wayne Hillson, I understood the club and knew the people behind the scenes and I knew what it would take to take it to where it wanted to go.

“I bought into the project and the club bought into me, I got the job and the rest, as they say, is history. I joined them as a mid-table South West Peninsula League team and we went on to get out of that league, get out of the Western League, then get out of the Southern League Division One South to find ourselves at Step Three now, which is the highest level the club has ever played at. It’s been a rollercoaster of a ride, but I have loved every minute of it.”

Hobbs’ first summer in charge saw a radical overhaul of the playing squad with 13 players leaving and 13 arriving, including Mikey Williams, who remains at Parkway today. Karl Curtis arrived as his trusted number two and there was little doubt that his recruitment was impressive and Parkway had the look of potential champions. That’s exactly how it proved as they won the SWPL title with two games to spare.

Next stop was the Western League after the club were accepted into the division. Hobbs’ recruitment was again good and they pushed Willand Rovers close in the 2018-19 campaign before finishing as runners-up on the final day of the season. Hopes of promotion were dashed by an FA restructure, which saw only one team – Willand – promoted and the following campaign will be remembered for their epic FA Vase run, which took them to the quarter-finals, where they were beaten by eventual winners Hebburn Town.

These were great times at Bolitho Park, all caught on film by their in-house videographer Mike Parrish and his outstanding ‘Round Our Way’ documentary, but few could have predicted what was to bring about a sudden stop. The club were challenging for the title along with Tavistock, when the outbreak of Covid in March 2020 led to the league season being declared null and void. Hobbs accused the governing body of ‘acting in haste’ but his words, which echoed those of so many others in non-League football circles, fell on deaf ears.

A frustrating situation got even worse when the 2020-21 campaign was suspended due to a rise in Covid rates and more government-enforced lockdowns. A stop-start season was eventually curtailed and with the FA deciding to press ahead with another restructure, Parkway – top of the Western League table on a points-per-game average – were granted promotion to the Southern League. Again, the club didn’t hang around and won promotion at the first attempt.

“We were top when the first lockdown came and we had played about 25 games and then obviously, the second time we played about 14 games and we were top then as well, so the FA decided to promote on a points-per-game basis,” he said. “We never ever got a league winners medal for it, which really disappointed me because we had played enough games and were top when Football League clubs did, but we still said we won the league.

“To then get promoted and go into the Southern League Division One South and win it first time, it was just amazing times. Obviously, the infrastructure at the ground started to improve, as Truro were in the building then, and we built a fantastic stadium to play in. Then we kicked on and moved up to Step Three where, at the first year, we had a difficult start, but we soon got the grips with it and finished tenth. I strongly believe, if we didn’t have the disruption we had this year, this team would have finished anywhere around mid-table too.

“All in all it’s been one a hell of a ride and I’ve embraced it for so long. I’ve given just as much as I demand from the players and everyone and it’s been brilliant. But when you know, or when you feel in yourself, that the time is right to move on and that you’ve left it in a better place than you found it, then you’ve got to do what’s right for you. Unfortunately, it’s coming up for me.”

There is no doubt that the season just finished has been demanding and that has taken a toll on Hobbs. The club have endured 24 postponements as issues over their Bolitho Park playing surface and the unprecedented amount of prolonged rainfall persisted all winter, which left Parkway having to play 13 games in the final month of the season.

“Under the circumstances, it made staying up all the more special,” he said. “Physically, mentally and emotionally, it’s been exhausting, absolutely brutal. People will say: ‘But you don’t play!’ No, but as a staff, we’re working seven days a week. We’re travelling. We’re not sleeping. We’re still working. We’re still giving a hell of a lot to the cause. It’s just been it’s been a really difficult period, torture for everyone at the football club… but we managed to navigate our way through it.”

With Truro out of the building and set to return home for next season, investment in the playing surface and the White Tigers’ temporary stay leading to a modified stadium suitable for Step Two football, then it does beggar the question why Hobbs wants to leave now.

“Because my own personal ambition outweighs that of the football club,” Hobbs says adamantly. “Obviously the football club’s remit each year will probably likely be to stay in the league and I want a little bit more.

“I want to fight for play-offs and all those little bits and pieces and I don’t think we’ve a million miles away. I think we’re probably three or four signings away from it but, again, you can only work with the resources you’re given.

“Now, I just feel I need a break at this moment in time. I feel physically and mentally exhausted. It’s been a really, really hard five months and I just think a little bit of time out to recharge your batteries is probably the right thing for me and my family at this moment in time.

“The lows have only been pretty much really this season, or being disrupted through Covid and having the game taken away from you. But again, it’s been absolutely brilliant and to have the success we have had, people can only dream of it.”

The search is now on for Parkway to find Hobbs’ successor, but whoever it is, they will face some challenge to replicate the achievements of this proud Plymothian. But what for the man himself? By his own admission, Hobbs has no coaching qualifications, just a management style moulded by his unquestionable passion, love and knowledge of the beautiful game.

“All I can think about is the beach and being on a sun lounger, which is coming very soon!” Hobbs quipped. “No, this is not my last gig and I will be looking to get back in at some point, but where?

“Ultimately, I’ll just have to stay patient. I’ll just have to wait and see what happens. But for now, I just want to rest up, recharge the batteries, enjoy my family, give them a little bit more time and see what happens over the coming months, weeks or it could be days… who knows?”