Paul Moore sacked as Colwyn Bay boss after results fail to match investment

Pic: Colwyn Bay FC

COLWYN BAY say they made the difficult decision to sack boss Paul Moore after discovering the club were paying “three times more” than most of their league rivals.

Moore was appointed as the Seagulls’ new manager in May after the north Wales club suffered their second successive relegation by finishing bottom of the Evo-Stik NPL Premier.

While the ex-Congleton Town, Leek Town, Ashton Athletic and Clitheroe boss enjoyed an up-and-down first few months in charge of the Bay, they are just two points outside the top five in the Evo-Stik NPL North.

However, the club confirmed on Monday that they had decided to part company with Moore following Saturday’s draw against mid-table Bamber Bridge while coach Phil Hadland will take over as interim boss.

The club’s points per game ratio was seen as not good enough following the investment into the playing squad, forcing the Seagulls’ board into action.

A club statement read: “When Paul was given the job as manager of Colwyn Bay FC, a modest playing budget was agreed and stability in the division was our objective, play-offs would be a bonus but winning at home was a must.

“It soon became apparent the level of players we could attract to the club and the budget was increased by some way, to make sure we had a squad which could get us promoted either via the play-offs or automatic.

“We paid transfer fees for two players and put several of them on contract. Now we are half way through the season and having discussed playing budgets with various clubs, it’s clear we are paying as much as three times more than many clubs in the division. However, our performances and league position haven’t matched that.

“Over the last six weeks or so numerous players have spoken about concerns they have within the squad, with a number having been looking to move on to new challenges. Fortunately we have managed to keep many of them, but a couple have opted to move on for one reason or another.

“A meeting was held a number of weeks ago, and the management were told the current point to game ratio wasn’t good enough for the objectives for the season. This has, in fact, gone down since the meeting rather than up.

“Although the league was our priority this season, the manner of the cup defeats was not acceptable. Cup runs are vital revenue opportunities and we believe with the squad we have, we should have gone further.

“As a board, we would like to place on record our thanks to Paul, he started with nothing and recruited a squad that’s capable of promotion. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, it’s not quite clicked and we believe a change was needed to make sure our objectives were met.

“Phill Hadland is a very popular member of the back-room staff, his passion, determination to succeed and hunger has stood out from when he stepped up to number two. For this reason, and with the players backing, we feel it’s right to appoint him as interim manager of Colwyn Bay Football Club.”