APRIL Smith will make history for White Ensign tomorrow when she turns into the primary feminine to handle a match within the Essex Senior League.
Smith will take cost of Ensign, within the absence of first group boss Aaron Bloxham, for the match at Ilford on Friday night time.
And Smith is hopeful extra girls will quickly observe in her foot-steps.
“I hope it becomes more common and I don’t see why it can’t be,” mentioned Smith.
“Don’t get me wrong it’s tough and there are still a lot of battles you have to fight.
“There are a lot of comments you have to go against and you have to have a thicker skin.
“You have to be able to hold your own but hopefully it can just be the norm going forward.
“If I can just be that one person that someone wants to take up coaching because of then great.”
Smith additionally coaches Southend United’s girls facet and is the neighborhood engagement officer for Blues’ neighborhood and academic belief.
But she locations no further significance on managing Ensign.
“People who know me know it’s just a game of football to me,” mentioned Smith.
“It doesn’t make a difference if it’s men playing, women playing or kids.
“I’m just there to coach what’s in front of me and try to get the best out of them.
“To other people it can be a big deal and if there’s little girls watching and little boys who think they know someone who could do that then that’s great.”
And Smith stays grateful for the possibilities coming her method with White Ensign.
“It’s really good at Ensign because there are loads of opportunities,” mentioned Smith.
“If people aren’t there or want to take a step back there’s the opportunity to step forward.
“Blox has put a lot of faith in me and all the management and t’s really nice to have that trust around us.
“We are a team, Blox always says that, so it was nice.”
However, it was a troublesome take a look at for Ensign on Tuesday as they took on Isthmian Premier League facet Canvey Island within the third spherical of the Essex Senior Cup.
And Smith initially felt fairly apprehensive herself.
“It was a bit nerve-wracking to be honest when everyone looks at you for the decisions but it was nice to get a feel for it if I ever wanted to go off on my own one day,” mentioned Smith.
“I said to the boys after the game that I was so proud of them too.
“We went into it with a clear game-plan and we knew we were playing a team two leagues higher than us.
“They’ve got really good quality on the ball and we went in with a plan of what we would do without the ball.
“To be fair, for big spells of the game it felt like there wasn’t much between us at all.
“The work-rate was unbelievable and we just got undone by a bit of quality in the two boxes.
“If we play like that in the next few games in the Essex Senior League we’ll really compete for points and play-offs.”
Ensign had been crushed 4-1 by the Gulls and can now look to bounce again at Ilford tomorrow.
However it’s not simply league matches thrilling Ensign as they’ve additionally made it by means of to the third spherical of the FA Vase.
And Smith is starting to dream of a fairytale story ending to the season.
“It’s a good opportunity to progress in a major competition,” mentioned Smith.
“Imagine walking out at Wembley as a Step 5 club that doesn’t even really have its own home.
“It would be a big thing for Step 5 football and to be a female in that management team, what more could you want?”
