Curzon Ashton are no flash in the pan

Lakeland is ready for Curzon challenge

By Matt Badcock

Picture: Curzon Ashton FC

WELCOME BACK: Adam Lakeland has returned to Curzon Ashton, this time as manager

PICTURE: Curzon Ashton

ADAM LAKELAND is targeting Curzon Ashton’s best ever National League North finish after the new boss left Farsley Celtic to return to the Nash.

The highly-rated 36-yearold was John Flanagan’s first team coach when they secured back-to-back promotions to reach Step 2.

Lakeland, who also had a good spell in charge of Blackburn Ladies, then took Northwich Victoria to the play-offs despite a ninepoint deduction, before switching to Farsley Celtic.

Under his reign the Yorkshire club won promotion from the NPL Premier Division to National League North.

But the ambitious manager felt he has taken Celtic as far as he can and when the chance to take on Curzon, following Steve Cunningham’s surprise departure, he jumped at the chance.

And with Nash in the play-offs, he wants to build on their positive start.

Challenge

“It’s always difficult to leave somewhere you’ve been a while,” Lakeland told The NLP.

“The people become friends. Certainly when you’ve had a successful spell like we had at Farsley, it probably makes it all that more difficult.

“But football is ever moving. I’ve never hidden my ambition. I just felt it’s a fresh challenge for me, a different environment, a different set of faces, a different group of players to try and work with.

“Curzon have established themselves in this league over the last five or six years. Off the pitch they are doing so much good work in the local community and the fanbase is growing all the time.

“It’s just a really exciting time to go in. Hopefully I can have an impact on the club as a whole and, ultimately, the team on the pitch.

“The target has got to be the highest the club has ever finished, which would be tenth. If you can finish higher than that then you’re not a million miles off the play-offs.

“If we can be in and around that with ten games to go, we’ve got a chance.”

Covid issues within the squad meant they had no game yesterday and it’s been confirmed the game with Kidderminster on Tuesday is also postponed.

But he arrives at the start of a tough schedule he knows will tell him all he needs to know about the high-flying squad.

Ambition

“The run of games we have coming up now will ultimately enable everyone to find out where this group of players is, if you will,” he said.

“We’ve got the likes of Fylde, Kidderminster, York, Brackley – teams up and around the top of the league. That, of course, is going to be a challenge.

“I know it’s boring, but we’ll take one game at a time. That’s how we’ve always worked in the past, going into every game with a clear match plan and aim to try and win, if we can.

“We know winning every game won’t happen, but you’ve got to have that ambition and belief.

“If we can instil that mentality into the players and work on a few of the finer details that make differences in games, I am confident we can more good results than bad. I am really looking forward to the opportunity.”