HE could never have dreamed he would get the chance to take charge of what he believes is one of non-league football’s genuine sleeping giants.

But now that he has been given the opportunity to lead AFC Darwen up the pyramid Nick Lloyd is determined to make the most of it.

The 40-year-old has taken the Salmoners to his heart since he arrived at the club five years ago from Old Blackburnians.

And, after Kenny Langford’s departure from the WEC Anchor Ground hotseat in October, his assistant Lloyd was asked to step in order to keep the club’s young team together.

He had never managed a senior side before but you would not have guessed it from his first five games in caretaker charge.

Darwen won four and drew one before a run of defeats, including a painful FA Vase loss to Chadderton, and a series of postponements halted Darwen’s progress.

“It’s my first manager’s job and I’m enjoying it,” said Lloyd.

“It was never really on my radar and I was quite happy with what I was doing but I love this club so when I was asked I considered it a big honour.

“The group of lads we have here are pretty much all local to the Blackburn and Darwen area and I just thought, if the club brings somebody in from the outside, there’s a good chance the group will break up.

“That didn’t happen and we made a great start but I’ll hold my hands up, there wasn’t a lot to do. We were on a run, the team was selecting itself, and everybody was playing well.

“But then you start to have a few postponements and we lost to Chadderton in the FA Vase 5-3. We were 3-1 up at half-time when it should have been 3-0 or 4-0.

“In the second half we just stopped playing and when that happens you can do all the ranting and raving you like on the touchline but it’s not going to change anything.

“But these lads are an honest bunch and if they’ve been poor they will hold their hands up.

“As long as they give 100 per cent on a Saturday, run their hearts out and want to do well for this club, I’m happy. We want to get out of this league.”

Darwen, who have played just 17 league matches so far this season, would be hard pushed to chase down the top two, Atherton Collieries and Cammell Laird 1907.

But win their games in hand and they will give themselves a strong chance of finishing in the top six and grabbing one of the four play-off places.

Lloyd certainly believes the club is geared up for promotion after local businessman Wayne Wild, a director at the Darwen-based WEC Group, took over as chairman last February and brought ex-Blackburn Rovers star Kevin Gallacher along with him.

“The words ‘sleeping giant’ are used too often in football but I really believe non-league wise we could be a big club,” said Lloyd.

“We’ve got some good people at this club like Wayne Wild and he’s going to do things that will step this club up massively.

“He’s a big personality in the town and I think he’s been bitten by this club and can’t get away from it now.

“The support base is there and it showed when we got to the semi-finals of the Lancashire Trophy last season. I’m convinced we had more fans than there than Chorley.”

Also helping the club go places is its director of football Gallacher.

The 48-year-old counts Newcastle United, Dundee United and Coventry City among his former clubs and played at the 1998 World Cup for Scotland.

“For someone who has played international football against some of the world greats he’s one of the nicest blokes I’ve ever met,” said Lloyd.

“I can ring him at the drop of a hat and ask him what he thinks.

“He’ll always have his opinion, as does our coach Andy Smith, who has also been fantastic for us.”

Lloyd’s title at Darwen remains caretaker manager but if there ever comes a day when the club ask him to step aside, there is no chance he will walk away altogether.

“Technically I’m still caretaker and until I’m told any different I’ll just keep working to try and get this team up this league,” said Lloyd, who also paid tribute to the work done by club secretary Sarah Hindle.

“But I’ll be at this club regardless of what happens.”

After playing just two matches in seven weeks Darwen are scheduled to entertain sixth-placed Holker Old Boys this afternoon (3pm).

And Lloyd said: “With all the postponements you can’t get any consistency, you can’t get a run going and you can’t get any form. All you can do is train.

“It’s frustrating because playing is what you want to do on a Saturday. You go to work all week and, especially at this level, you just want to play.

“If the weather dries up in February away we go and we’ll have a good run at it then.

“All we can do is play our games and give it 100 per cent and give ourselves a chance of climbing that league and reaching those play-offs.

“If we do, then who knows where we go from there?

“That’s the biggest aim, trying to move this club up out of this league and into the next one.”