TODAY marks two years since Richard Dryden took charge of his first game as manager of Worcester City.

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since the 1-1 draw against Barrow at St George’s Lane on Dec-ember 1, 2007 and it is fair to say that it has been an eventful journey so far.

Interestingly, Dryden’s two-year an-niversary coincides with his 100th game at the helm — last Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Bishop’s Stortford.

In reaching that milestone, he has won 28 games and lost 43 as the team has struggled to make an impact in both the league and cup competitions.

Yet his enthusiasm for the job and determination to succeed remains, des-pite having had to deal with budget cuts and off-the-field unrest.

Fans have questioned why Dryden is still in charge — after all, many managers have been sacked with much better records.

But there seems little point in doing away with his services, not least because he has a contract until the end of this season which would need to be paid up. Where else would City turn given their lack of cash and off-the-field situation?

Chairman Anthony Hampson has already said the board are 100 per cent behind Dryden and, let’s face it, if they were going to sack him they would have done so by now.

Dryden is also a genuinely likeable person, works tirelessly and the players want him to succeed as well, even if they don’t always appear to be helping him in that pursuit.

The fact many opted to stay having been asked to take a pay cut also speaks volumes. Midfielder Rob Davies played for nothing. A cynic might say they wouldn’t have got a club elsewhere, but assistant manager Carl Heeley firmly believes Dryden has the support of his team.

He said: “Without any doubt, these players are behind Richard and myself and they want to play for us. Their attitude is great and they never give up trying.

“At times we have been found wanting in a couple of crucial areas but this group of lads are trying their very best to overcome that with sheer effort and determination.”

He added: “I think it’s been harder than we anticipated because the re-sources that we thought were in place aren’t there now and that’s made it difficult getting better quality players in.

“I think the frustrating thing has been that we haven’t really been able to string many wins together, it’s been a bit spluttery along the way.

“Probably the best run was in the early days when we had a good start, but since then we have been inconsistent.

“The other disappointment is that we feel we addressed the areas we thought were lacking last season and have certainly got a better squad of players, but the league table and results are disappointing to date.”