Larkfield & New Hythe boss Danny Lye steps down due to personal commitments while Alex White and Ryan Watts are appointed Croydon bosses while Reece Parara is appointed Sporting Club Thamesmead manager

LARKFIELD & NEW HYTHE have confirmed that manager Danny Lye has stepped down due to personal and professional commitments.

 

The newly-promoted side are playing in the ninth-tier of English football for the very first time this season and are presently sitting in fourth-place in the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division table, having picked up 35 points (10 wins, five draws and eight defeats).

Lye’s last game in charge saw his side lose 4-2 at third-placed side Fisher yesterday.

“Due to personal and professional commitments, Danny Lye has made the difficult decision to step down as manager of Larkfield & New Hythe,” said a club statement.

“The board, players and the fans extend their deepest gratitude to Danny for his outstanding leadership, which culminated in our promotion to the SCEFL Premier Division.

“We are pleased to announce that Danny will remain actively involved with Larkfield & New Hythe in an advisory role, continuing to provide invaluable guidance.

“We are delighted to confirm that assistant manager Micky Phillips has accepted the position to step-up as manager, with club captain Fraser Walker taking on the additional role of player assistant manager.

“The board believes no further changes are needed for now as we continue our pursuit of a successful season and build towards an exciting future, including the move to our new stadium in 2026.”

Phillips,  41, was in charge of the side for a FA Cup First Qualifying Round tie at home to Isthmian League Premier Division side Cray Wanderers, missing several chances to pull off an upset, having to settle for a 1-1 draw.

Lye returned following his bout of sickness for the replay at Flamingo Park, which saw Neil Smith’s side claim an 8-0 victory.

Larkfield & New Hythe welcome Kevin Stevens’ Bearsted to New Hythe Lane on Tuesday night, 11 points adrift of new league leaders, Faversham Town.

The Bears are in the bottom four in the table, having picked up 20 points from their 18 games – two points clear of the relegation zone.

Meanwhile, Southern Counties East Football League First Division side Sporting Club Thamesmead have appointed a new manager.

Joint-managers Alex White and Ryan Watts resigned from their roles at Bayliss Avenue on 28 December to jointly manage their league rivals Croydon.

The Trams were held to a 1-1 home draw by Welling Town in the pair’s first game in charge of the club yesterday.

“After a difficult week, we are pleased to announce that the experienced Reece Parara has been appointed as manager,” said a club statement.

“Part of his management team will be Acre owner Lee Hill, who’ll assist the transition period.”

Parara stepped down from his role as Holmesdale’s manager in the Premier Division on 3 November.

Croydon are in fifth-place in the table having picked up 33 points (10 wins, three draws and seven defeats), while Sporting Club Thamesmead sit in the top eight with 29 points (seven wins, eight draws and five defeats).

Croydon host Chipie Sian’s Punjab United in the Challenge Cup Third Round on Wednesday night, while Parara’s first game of Sporting Club Thamesmead will be in the Division One Cup away to Clapton Community 24 hours earlier.