TWELVE years into the job, Sean Joyce will not forget his early days as the Bideford manager.

It was September 1998 and the Robins were second from bottom of the Western League premier division when he was offered the role.

Poor crowds and precious few points meant the prospects did not look good for a novice football boss.

Today, as Joyce looks ahead to a new adventure in the Zamaretto Southern League, those bleak times provide a guard against complacency.

"Even now, I'll not forget where we started," he said. "That's the fear factor. I don't ever want to struggle again.

"I think, for my first game in charge, there were about 15 or 17 of the paying public there. But I always thought, 'I can ignite this place'.

"I got a bit of criticism at the start, but I believed in myself and gradually I put across the brand of football I wanted.

"If we get beat giving everything, it doesn't matter. What I won't put up with is players not putting in the effort."

That attitude is something Joyce, 43, shared with Billy Bremner, his manager and mentor as an apprentice at Doncaster Rovers.

Like the legendary Leeds United midfielder, Joyce's family came from Scotland and his working-class background influenced his football philosophy.

"My Dad and my Grandad were miners," said Joyce.

"My Dad moved to Yorkshire from Scotland and I'm from a little mining village called Conisbrough, between Rotherham and Doncaster.

"For me, it was either go down the pit or play football. My old man said to me he never wanted to see me go down the pit. Luckily I had skill and I could play football."

As a player, Joyce took advice from managers such as Cyril Knowles, Joe Kinnear, Dave Mackay and Dave Smith.

But it was Bremner, an "old-time legend", who made the lasting impact.

"I had a close friendship with Billy. I used to pop in to see him and he'd sit down and talk about the old Leeds days," said Joyce.

"He said to me, 'Take as much information as you can on board. You don't have to use it but listen to everybody — players and managers — and if you think it works, put your own spin on it'.

"For training sessions now, we still do some of the same things I did at Doncaster 25 years ago."

After two years as a professional at Doncaster, Joyce transferred to Torquay United in 1988. Moving to Devon was a culture shock.

"I hated the first six months, absolutely hated it," he said. "Then after that I thought, 'I'll never move from here'. I just love the way of life."

A year after a knee injury ended his professional career in 1994, the midfielder returned at semi-pro level, gaining experience in the competitions that would define his success as a manager.

At Elmore, he won the Les Phillips Cup and finished runner-up to Tiverton Town in the Western League. Then, with Taunton Town, he reached the FA Vase semi-finals.

Former Torquay team-mate Dean Edwards signed him for Bideford, along with Ellis Laight, but by the start of the 1998-99 season the Robins were in a mess and Edwards walked away within the first month.

"Jim McElwee (the chairman) asked me if I fancied the job," said Joyce.

"I'd never thought about managing and people were saying don't touch it with a barge poll. But the only other option I had was packing the game up.

"We still laugh about it now. Jim said he saw something in me that I couldn't see. I never thought I'd have the confidence to stand up in front of players and tell them what to do."

Despite the advice of friends and other managers, Joyce took the job and guided Bideford to safety.

Over the last decade, they have won the Western League five times and never finished outside the top six.

They have won the Les Phillips Cup, the Devon St Luke's Cup and been to an FA Vase semi-final as well as two quarter-finals.

No wonder Joyce was linked with the vacant manager's job at Tiverton Town this summer and has previously been touted for Truro City and Falmouth Town.

"I've had offers, but it just doesn't feel right," he said. "I look around and think what's the next big club in the area? Tiverton are struggling and Truro seem to have a new manager every two or three months.

"At Bideford, I've got total control of the football side and I have the backing of the committee, the board, the chairman and Kev Tyrell (the secretary)."

Now Bideford are ready to end their 35-year wait for a return to the Southern League.

"I think the fans wanted us to go up," said Joyce. "Hopefully they'll come out and back us.

"We're not just representing Bideford now, we're representing the whole of North Devon."

His determination remains as strong as ever.

"People say, 'You've been there too long'. But when it's a new season, we try to push on and better what we've done before. To be in the job 12 years, I must be doing something right."