DESPITE a successful start to his managerial career, Mark Jermyn has admitted that he can still find it difficult getting his point across to the players when in the dug-out as opposed to being on the pitch.

Jermyn, Dorchester Town’s all-time record appearance maker, has been player-manager at the Avenue for nearly 10 months after moving back to the club from Poole in January.

The county town side improved markedly in the second half of last season and are now pushing for a play-off place in the Evo-Stik Southern Premier Division.

However, as Jermyn himself suggests, there are certain aspects of his job that perhaps take a little bit more getting used to than some others.

“From the sideline it’s hard trying to get people to do what you want them to do and it’s certainly easier when you can step onto the pitch and actually say ‘this is what I want you to do’,” said Jermyn after starting last Saturday’s 3-2 victory over Bedworth on the bench.

“For me, being able to get that across is something that is part of my development, and a lot of the time it does get across to the players.

“But it’s just frustrating when they are looking around at each other.

“And I do maintain it is probably because they are a young group, and when you lose a two-goal lead like we did (against Bedworth) you are a little bit shell-shocked.”

He went on to add: “I said to the players afterwards, if you give the ball away you keep running.

“The game doesn’t stop because you give the ball away.

“And funnily enough, I said to the boys before the kick-off don’t be a team that thinks if they score you’re going to lose the game.

“You should be a team that thinks if they score you’ll score two, and if they score two you’ll score three.

“That was part of the team talk and ironically we won 3-2.

“I really didn’t want it to be that way, I wanted it to be a strong, dominant performance.

“It was in the first half but not the second so much.”

Meanwhile, the Magpies host a Dorset Army XI at the Avenue tonight (7.30pm) for a Remembrance Day friendly.

The match follows the success of the one held last year to mark the Christmas truce during the First World War.

The Royal British Legion will be raising funds at this evening’s fixture and entry is £5 for adults and £1 for under-16s.