Erith Town boss Tony Russell begins to rebuild his coaching staff

LEW WATTS has parted company with Erith Town due to his business commitments, writes Stephen McCartney.



Assistant manager Watts, 36, owns a building firm and has purchased a big plot of land and he’s going to build some houses on the land, so cannot commit to the Kent League club anymore.
 
Manager Tony Russell, 32, who guided the club to eighth place in the Kent League table and bagged the Kent Senior Trophy in his first season as a football manager, now begins the search for a suitable replacement.

”Lew’s helped me massisively,” said Russell.  “I’m more hands on with the coaching, he lets me do my own thing but sometimes I just need someone to stand back and as I’m so much involved he gives (me advice).

”I need to get someone in with experience.  I’m young in terms of management and I need to get someone in to give me a hand, moving forward.

”I’ve spoken to one or two (people) I know but I’m also keen speaking to other people as well.


”I know a lot of good people who aren’t in management at the moment.  I will sit down to talk to anyone and if it’s something that I think it will work, it won’t bother me if I know him or not.

”If I’m going to do management going forward, I want to gage a partnership going forward and at the moment I haven’t got that so I’m keen to see if I can get someone coming in, going forward to be with someone for the whole time I’m doing it.”


Russell admitted a finish in the top eight and bagging silverware in the shape of the Kent Senior Trophy (courtesy of a 3-1 win over Tunbridge Wells last month) has been a good season.

”I had two chairmen, I had to deal with two goalkeeping coaches, two physios, I had a manager whose gone, players walking out at one stage.  After Norton when Steve O’Boyle left I had twelve players,” Russell recalled.

”Given everything what’s gone on, it’s been good.

”Towards the end of the season, the last 5-6 games, we got to a Cup Final. I had a look at a couple of the youngsters and reserves doing well.  At the end of the day, whether I finished sixth or eighth did it matter that much?  I’d rather learn.  I’d rather look at a few people knocking on the door.
 
”Results weren’t great towards the end of the season.  How do you judge whose had a good season?  We’ve got a trophy in the bag. We’ve won something this year.  Not a lot of teams have done that baring Hythe at this stage, no one else can say that.”

When asked what he learnt during his first season in charge, Russell replied, “I learnt that you can’t play football as much as I want on every pitch.

”You go to somewhere like Tunbridge Wells and their pitch aint great and I tell the players to play from the back and on reflection you can’t do that.

”There’s some really good pitches in the league, people like Beckenham and Fisher and there’s some pitches you have to have a plan B but I didn’t have a plan B.  It was either play football or we got turned over and you can’t do that so I’ve learnt that.”

Russell confirmed that he will stay on and give it a second season with the Dockers.

”I am going to give it another go,” he said.  “I haven’t sat down with the chairman yet.  We’ve had a brief chat and he said he’s really happy with what we’ve done this year and he can see what we’re trying to do.

”I think it’s going to be a strong league next season – you only have to look at Erith & Belvedere and Herne Bay.  No one seems to know who the new additions are, whispers are Ashford and Canterbury, you just don’t know.  With this level of football all off a sudden someone comes from nowhere and you know (who is going to be up there challenging for the title) halfway through the summer when they start signing certain players.

”Us personally I don’t think we’re a million miles away from having a decent side.  We were top for a little while, we didn’t handle it very well, but the players are a year older and are used to that now.

”I do need to add three or four.  I spoke to a couple briefly but I’m going to wait for a little while and sit down and see if I can get a few in.”

For more details about the assistant manager’s vacancy at Erith Town please telephone Tony Russell on 07742 203 248.

Visit Erith Town’s website: www.erithtownfc.co.uk