Coney Hall appoint long-serving Allen as new manager

Wednesday 09th June 2010

RELEGATED side Coney Hall have appointed their new manager from within, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Tiepigs Lane outfit have opted to hand the job to long-serving player Peter Allen, following the club’s relegation from the top-flight of Vandanel Kent County League last season.

“Peter has played and managed at the club for the last eleven years and has demonstrated his passion for the club and senior football,” said a club statement.

“His appointment has been made and with the best interest for the club and senior section we are pleased he has a shared ambition to ensure the first team is promoted at the end of next season back into the Kent County Premier League.

“This will not be easy, but if the players share this ambition, promotion will be achieved.

“Peter is aware that player recruitment will be essential so we ask players to look out on the (club) website for future trials during pre-season.

“We now ask all the players to commit to the job in hand and share the ambition of the management and the club and train and work hard for the whole season to gain promotion back to the Kent County Premier.”

The Hayes based club endured a miserable campaign, winning five and drawing three of their 30 league games last season, as they finished bottom of a sixteen-team division.

It was a season to forget for the club as they hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons when manager Ryan Musgrave, 36, was shot dead at least six times by a masked gunman in West Wickham before a pre-season training session last July.

Andrew Tucker, the outgoing manager, summed things up, when he admitted to www.kentishfootball.co.uk last month, “I think what’s happened is we’re simply not been good enough, that’s what it comes down to. We just haven’t been good enough!”

Visit Coney Hall’s website: www.coneyhall.fc.co.uk