MARTIN CARRUTHERS says leading Ilkeston Town on their FA Cup glory trail was the moment he knew he was at a special club.
The 48-year-old manager has signed a new deal to stay with the Robins until the end of the 2022- 23 season.
Carruthers led the Step 4 Robins through four rounds in the FA Cup before locking horns with Hartlepool United in the fourth qualifying round.
“It was surreal,” Carruthers reflected on the club's YouTube channel. “With everything that was going on; the stopstart season, the isolating players, worrying about whether the game is going to get played or not, the TV cameras, the atmosphere at the Alvechurch game…it was all very special and just highlighted to me what special football club this is and how exciting the future can be and how far we can actually take it.”
The former Stoke City and Peterborough United forward took over at Ilkeston back in November 2019 and led the club to ninth place in NPL South East division last year when the season was declared null and void.
The Robins were lying tenth in the table when in the season was suspended back in late October and Carruthers is confident that is just a platform for more success to come.
“When I brought in a whole group of new players, we knew they'd take time to settle in,” added the former Arnold Town, Basford United and Quorn boss.
“Certainly the start of the season didn't reflect that, I thought it would take us more time to bed in. I didn't think we were far away from being a top-three side.
“I'd like to think if we can keep 90/95 percent of that squad together, and just two or three max new additions in certain areas, then we're going to be a major force this season.”
