DARREN Sarll cannot wait to pit his wits against one of the biggest influencers in his career – and is desperate for Yeovil Town to win.
The 38-year-old will be reunited with former club Stevenage and close friend and caretaker manager Robbie O'Keefe.
Sarll, aged 20, joined Boro in the community department, was made reserve team manager by Peter Taylor at 23 and then came back at 30 to lead the academy before becoming manager.
O'Keefe, 58, has been in charge at Stevenage since stepping up from his role as academy manager when Alex Revell was sacked earlier this month.
He has helped guide Sarll through his coaching career and now the pair will go headto-head when the League Two side visit on Saturday.
“The only sad thing about it is Alex Revell won't be the opposing manager,” Sarll told The NLP. “I signed him as a player at Stevenage, a brilliant fella and someone I've stayed in contact with.
“On the other hand, Robbie O'Keefe is probably in the top three influences of my career. It will be brilliant to have that off the pitch battle with someone I highly respect.
“I met Robbie at 16, he was a coach at Hitchin Town. After one training session I really wanted his job. He was a coach educator, I followed him all around the county, learning about how to coach.
“By the time I did the badges I'd probably done 100 courses as a player, just turning up helping the older candidates get through the week by joining in and he had a huge influence.
“He's still one of the best coaches I've ever seen, people won't know that about him, and a good guy. We've been interlocked for the best part of two decades.”
Instinct
When Sarll returned to Stevenage, O'Keefe came in with him as head of coaching and they ran the acade- my together.
O'Keefe has steadied the Stev- enage ship as the cl ub continues to look for a new man- ager.
“His first few games have been very good and he's a very calm individual, very thoughtful, very methodical, so he has that effect on players,” said Sarll. “I'm not sure he wants to be the permanent manager, going off some of the interviews af- games he's given. He likes his job in the academy.
“It's very hard when you're caretaker manager because you only really see the best bits of the manager role, it's when you're the permanent manager that all the crap comes washing in! I'm really pleased he's enjoying the experience and it's something he'll always look back on.”
Sarll was dismissed by Stevenage in 2018 but he holds no grudges and has fond memories of his time there.
“It's a brilliant football club,” he said. “The chairman Phil Wallace is a great guy, head of recruitment Leon Hunter is as good as they come in that domain.
“Working with Glenn Roeder was incredible. Him and I brought in well over £2 million in transfer fees, we had one really great year where we missed out on the play-offs by one point, the FA Cup third round replay with Reading, selling Ben Wilmot and Matty Godden. You never get a better experience than working with Glen and Phil, they take you to sch ool every day.
“I still s peak to a lot of peo- ple there, I grew up in that area, some of the support- ers are my closest friends and played with my father –I was in their dressing room at five years old. I only ever wish good things for the club.
“ But I can't wait for the game because the co mpetitor in me is v ery much in the f orefront of my in- s tinct. I really want to beat them.”
