AFC Totton
Steve Hollick has returned to the Snows Stadium as Goalkeeping Coach to continue a project that he helped to build from the ground up – both literally and figuratively.
The former Bashley, Totton & Eling and Romsey Town shot-stopper is a Structural Engineer by day, and was part of the construction team that built the Snows Stadium in 2010.
After retiring as a player in 2013, Steve joined AFC Totton for the first time as a goalkeeping coach. When manager Steve Riley was relieved of his duties in March 2015, Hollick took over as Caretaker Manager, delivering sufficiently good results to be offered the job on a permanent basis a month later. He was in the Stags hot seat for 18 months, until a 1-3 defeat to Wimborne Town ended his reign in September 2016.
In May 2017, Steve was set to join the coaching team under ex-Stag Craig Davis at Winchester City, before having a change of heart and returning to Totton to join Louis Langdown’s backroom team.
In the summer of 2019, Steve moved to the Raymond McEnhill Stadium, where he worked with former Leicester City and Portsmouth striker Steve Claridge, as Salisbury FC’s goalkeeping coach.
He now returns to the Stags for a fourth spell, linking up with several familiar faces including Jack Hoey, Jack Masterton and, prior to the midfielder’s move to Lymington Town seven years ago, the also recently returned Nathan Hurst.
“My dad is a long-term season ticket holder with AFC Totton, so coming back to the Club is a great way to spend more time with him,” said Steve.
“The Club is in great shape with an excellent infrastructure that wouldn’t be out of place in the Conference South, and everyone here is ambitious. We’re currently in a competitive league with strong opposition from the likes of Cirencester and Frome, and you can’t rule out Plymouth Parkway who knocked us out of the FA Trophy when I was with Salisbury. But we have a strong squad here at Totton and are very much in the mix, too. It’s going to be close and very exciting.”
Steve is already underway in his new role, having been part of the traveling party that triumphed 2-0 at Frome Town on the first weekend in February, and he also played his part in Lewis Noice’s third consecutive clean sheet in the goalless home draw with Barnstaple Town a week later.
By Ben Rochey-Adams
