Ashford Town will have a new manager at the helm on the other side of the coronavirus crisis after Russell Canderton stepped down at the BetVictor Isthmian League's Tangerines.
The former player at Middlesex club, pictured, is not leaving the Robert Parker Stadium after taking over a depleted squad last summer for this season's abandoned Isthmian League South Central Division campaign.
Instead, he will help to appoint his successor after accepting an offer to join the board of directors following a series of conference calls with club officials in recent days since the termination of the season.
Tangerines chairman Nick Bailey hailed Canderton's decision to stay on this week as “fantastic news” after the club offered a pro-rata refund to season ticket holders covering the remaining few home games.
Club Statement ?
An announcement regarding the first team management for next season.
#COYT #TangerineArmy #IsthmianLeage https://t.co/jEtW4lYNCS— Ashford Town (Middlesex) FC (@ashfordtownmx) April 6, 2020
Bailey said: “Following a number of telephone conversations and conference calls, first team manager Russell Canderton has decided to step down from his position immediately. He has confirmed that he would like to stay at the club and will join our board of directors.
“This is fantastic news, and wholly welcomed by everyone involved with the running of the club. Russell has been with us for many years and played over 650 games many as captain. After Paul Burgess, he has played more matches for Ashford than anyone else in the club's history!
“After a very difficult summer Russell has done a fantastic job re-building the team pretty much from scratch after 90 per cent of the team decided to leave. Along with Steve Honey, Liam Balmer, and Adam Frailing he has engendered a fantastic spirit within the squad that in the end saw us pulling clear from any prospect of relegation.
“Huge thanks to Russell for this and all of his hard work and commitment throughout the season. It is important that we also thank the players who stuck by to support Russell and his coaching team throughout this transition period. We hope that these players once again decide to stay and support the new management team, which will be announced in the coming days.
“Another huge thank you must also be extended to Liam Balmer and Steve Honey who has played a huge part, not only in assisting Russell but also making sure that we have one of the best surfaces to play on and a pitch to be proud of. We are lucky to have these lads and proud that they will remain Ashford club men for the foreseeable future.
Thats it for 2019/2020 ?
We would like to say thank you to everyone for your support and hard work this season. And to our fans we would like to offer a small something back as a token of our appreciation ??https://t.co/J5YIc5Syza
Stay safe, and stay healthy ? pic.twitter.com/mIRMrf3T2l— Ashford Town (Middlesex) FC (@ashfordtownmx) March 31, 2020
“An announcement will be made shortly on Russell's replacement. And we hope that you will all be there lending your usual fantastic support us as we embark on a new era at Ashford Town. For now though please stay safe, and we look forward to seeing you all back at the RPS as soon as is possible.”
Make sure you get your copy of The Non-League Paper from this weekend for great features and all the latest news in one place on the impact of the coronavirus crisis on society and football.
In shops on Sundays and Mondays, The NLP is always available as a pound-busting digital edition and full replica of the printed paper from midnight on Saturdays. Save cash on single issues, even more on longer deals and the pages still rustle too!
Image courtesy of @ashfordtownmx/The Non-League Paper
