ANDY PEAKS says the lure of a sleeping giant was too much to resist after deciding to swap a promotion bid for a relegation fight.
Peaks stepped aside after eight years in charge of AFC Rushden & Diamonds to take over the vacant manager's job at Southern Premier Central rivals Tamworth.
He left Diamonds sitting pretty in the play-off places in fifth, while the Lambs lay fourth from bottom and in serious danger of plunging into Step 4.
So, the obvious question was why did Peaks turn down the chance of winning a third promotion with Diamonds to contest a battle for survival at the bottom?
“I have had that question a lot,” he told the Tamworth website. “I have been at Rushden for a long period and the club has achieved a lot of success, but when an opportunity at a club like Tamworth comes along you have to look at it.
“I have been in Non- League for 30 years and Tamworth has always been known as a big club with great support.
“It is not in the place it should be and the club had to act to sort things out. I am leaving Rushden in a good place where we have taken them from Step 5 to a good position in Step 3.
“I have had some great times at the club, with lots of highs and not many lows. “However, I looked at the bigger picture and I thought it was difficult to do better than what we have been doing.
“Perhaps I have taken the club as far as I can with the resources that they have.”
Peaks replaces Head of Senior Football Thomas Baillie and managerial pair Gary Smith and Anthony Danlylszyn in the Lambs' hotseat after a difficult year on the field.
Chairman Bob Andrews said: “We had some very high calibre applications but Andy stood out as the person we believe that can take Tamworth forward to the next level.
“He has an excellent pedigree and we look forward to working with him.”
