Stephen Baxter on his special milestone and building for the future

On Wednesday 23 February 2005 Stephen Baxter answered an SOS call from Crusaders to take over as their new manager.
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At the time Baxter said he had no hesitation to help out the club which is “in my blood”.

He was initially tasked with top flight but unfortunately the struggling Crues succumbed to relegation following a two-legged play-off defeat to Glenavon.

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But the club began to repair itself from the inside with Baxter at the helm and boy did they bunce back in style.

Stephen Baxter pictured celebrating the League title win in 2018Stephen Baxter pictured celebrating the League title win in 2018
Stephen Baxter pictured celebrating the League title win in 2018

The former Crusaders striker, who won two league titles for the club under Roy Walker in 1995 and 1997, brought them straight up the following season and set about building a club that could challenge for the top honours again.

During the past 17 years Baxter has won all the major honours - League titles, Irish Cup, League Cups and the County Antrim Shields as well as the Setanta Cup back in 2012.

Last Saturday he reached another major milestone as he managed the Seaview club for a remarkable 850th time!

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It was fitting that his charges put on a superb display running out 4-1 winners at Coleraine.

Speaking after the game the 56-year-old was humble about his achievements and highlighted the role others had played along the way.

“I’ve still got all my hair and it’s never been dyed,” joked Baxter.

“It’s an incredible thing from my point of view but it’s not something which keeps me awake at night.

“We’ve had a very settled crew of people through the years.

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“Charlie Murphy has been with me the whole time, Roy McDonald up until a couple of years ago was the same, Jeff Spiers played for me, I actually played with him before he played on for a few years before going on to be Reserve team manager and then my assistant.

“So there are a lot of great consistencies running through the football club.

“People who know what the DNA of the club is, people who work really hard week in, week out.

Football is a very emotive game, but it has just been a joy for me. You just don’t see the years slipping past though.

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“I think the team giving you honesty and integrity and desire to win that is what keeps me going.

“When I see that in players and what it means to them, that’s the thing that lights me up all the time and keeps me going.

“It’s been great, I’ve enjoyed every second of it. The buzz is just amazing.

“I’ll see how the nerves hold up in the next wee while as we prepare for the Irish Cup final and we’ll see where it takes us.”

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Like any successful manager Baxter wants more. He has built several successful squads during his tenure but how does he rate his current crop of players?

“We’re really pleased with the direction this current squad are going in,” he said.

“We’re starting to see one or two people really blossom and progress.

“We’ve had Gavin Whyte, Stuart Dallas and people like that all playing through the years.

“We’ve built teams and gone on to do incredible things.

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“Players come and go and you have to keep looking for the next thing, and the competition is getting so fierce with all the clubs.

“Everyone works so hard at it too which is good, it’s competitive.

“I enjoy it, but you’re always looking for more from the players. You want them to say they want it, and when I see that in their eyes it’s great.

“You’ve always got your scouts out looking for the next best thing so that you can bring one or two more in.

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“We know what we’re trying to do and hopefully we can keep being competitive.”

As well as building for success on the pitch the Crues look set for another memorable journey off it following the club members voting in favour of a potential £2.5m in the club by IRAMA.

Baxter is hoping there are some exciting times for the club, which has battled back from previous financial problems to be in a healthy position.

He said: “I hope so. Everything is new andI don’t know an awful lot about what the future will hold right now because I haven’t met anybody yet.

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“We came from absolutely nothing and that is the incredible part of this for me.

“There is a culture in our DNA, it’s not that we’re frugal, but we’re aware of what money we spend. We’ve always kept an eye on things to make sure it works.

“I’ve always been aware of results and building teams to give you value for money.

“That’s been the joy of it and maybe the secret of it is trying to get the right player in to suit the need at the time and then maybe moving them on at whatever age, because we’ve had some brilliant players down the years.

“When you don’t have a lot when you start off as you’re building and you are picking a few things up

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