XI questions with | FC United of Manchester

Across the country, supporters are preparing for the new campaign with renewed hope and ambition for the season ahead.

Ahead of the 2026/27 campaign getting underway on Saturday 8 August, we sat down with supporters from the NPL clubs at Step 3 to hear their thoughts on how things are shaping up.

Today it's the turn of FC United of Manchester's George Baker.

You enjoyed a third-place finish last season, following on from 17th the season before. It was obviously disappointing to miss out on promotion, so how do you ensure you make the next leap this time around?

We continue our faith in Mark Beesley and the coaching staff. 

The way they’ve turned things around in less than two years is phenomenal, and we’re confident they can take us further next year.

Mark Beesley recently signed a new three-year deal, having been appointed in September 2024. How do you sum up his leadership thus far? Can he take you to the next level?

Absolutely he can. 

Contrary to popular belief, we don’t have one of the larger budgets in our league, so for Beesley and his team to get us within touching distance of automatic promotion in his first full season with us is nothing short of incredible.

We’ve full faith that he can go one better this coming season.

Any major concerns heading into the new season?

We’ve managed to retain the majority of last season’s squad alongside a few new additions, so the main hope is that they can replicate last season’s strong performance but also hold out when the going gets tough. 

We were top with three games remaining last season and blew it, and while nobody blames the squad for that, it’s important to maintain that form going into the end of the season, should we be up there challenging for top spot again.

Sum up your transfer window so far…

Very measured and sensible, I’d say. 

In the past, we’d have a deluge of new signings in the summer, and a lot of the hope we had for a new squad would evaporate quickly when we saw how they didn’t quite gel together.

This would result in us relying heavily on mid-season loan signings for most of the campaign, but for this coming season only a few new additions have been made to a team that worked phenomenally well together last season. 

I believe this is the correct approach, as there’s no need to fix something that isn’t broken.

Jay Fitzmartin has moved on to Hednesford Town for next season. How big of a loss is he given how well he played last term?

It’s a huge blow as Jay has been fantastic from day one for us. 

Saying that, it’s not a huge surprise as he’s a player that deserves to be playing full-time and Hednesford Town can offer him that. We’ve had a few players in recent years such as Regan Linney go on to have substantial pro careers after making their name with us, and we’re proud that we can provide that platform for players.

Which of the new signings are you most excited to see in a red shirt next season? Someone like Niall Watson has come in with lots of attention, hasn't he?

Niall is a terrific signing, and we’re very excited to see what he will do. 

Mark Beesley has been after him for some time, so the Jay Fitzmartin approach from Hednesford was the perfect opportunity to strike up a deal to bring him to FC United. 

There are plenty of fresh teams to the division this season. Which new away ground are you most looking forward to visiting?

It has to be Bury’s Gigg Lane as it was our home ground for the first nine years of our existence, and we’ve never been back for a competitive game since! 

It’s fantastic that Bury are back playing there, and we were very proud to be involved with helping Bury AFC get things off the ground when they formed as a fan-owned breakaway club in similar circumstances to ourselves. 

We’ve great memories of filling the Manchester Road End (MRE) and the Main Stand there, so hopefully they’ll let us have a part of them on the day.

Who is one-lesser known FCUM player that opposition fans should look out for?

Jan Palinkas in central defence was unbelievable last season, but perhaps went under the radar thanks to the performances of Fitzmartin, Le Fondre, Donohue and our goalkeeper, Dan Atherton. 

He’s certainly one to watch.

Who are the league’s dark horses this season, and why?

Us! Bury are likely the favourites, but we’ll hopefully be up there pushing them to the end.

Who wins the Golden Boot?

Jordan Buckley.

You have five minutes with the squad ahead of the new season. What is your final message to them?

Remember that this club was built by its fans and that as players, you are also co-owners. 

While we may not be able to pay you as much as others, you play in from of the most unique non-league atmosphere every week, and the camaraderie between players and fans at this club is something you’ll remember forever. 

Win, lose or draw, we don’t care, so long as we both enjoy the ride.