Andy Ballard said his first taste of management was an enjoyable one, despite the result, writes Matthew Bruce.

Ballard’s reign as caretaker manager of Didcot Town began with a 1-1 draw at home to Yate Town in of the Evo-Stik Southern League Division 1 South & West on Saturday.

Despite his frustration not to start with a win, the new boss had few complaints.

“I think we got what we deserved,” said Ballard, who played the whole 90 minutes.

“In the first half we were definitely the better side; we created lots of good chances, but we just couldn’t take them.

“In the second half they were on top, but I was impressed by our resilience to dig in and take a point.

“I expected nothing less from them, because they’ve been fantastic all season.”

The match marked the culmination of a whirlwind week for Ballard, who was taken by surprise at the shock departure of joint-managers Ian Concannon and Jamie Heapy last week.

Ballard’s subsequent appointment as caretaker manager – with Andy Sinnott as his assistant – meant an unexpected extra workload, forcing him to juggle his regular duties in the Didcot midfield with his new role in charge of the team.

But it’s a challenge he has thrived on. “It’s been testing, but extremely enjoyable,” he said.

The Yate match could not have started any better when Didcot’s Lance Williams headed home a corner after three minutes.

Yate’s Jamie Laird was taken to hospital with a facial injury following a collision with Amadeu Arnau.

Despite this, the visitors equalised in first-half stoppage time through Tom Warren and had the better of the first half.

Didcot Tn: Bedwell, Collins, Organ, Self, Ballard, Learoyd, Arnau (Martin 68), Williams (Powell 68), Janes, Jeacock, Dutton-Black (Edney 85). Subs not used: Thompson, Gannon.

Attendance: 114.