Bards chairman in no rush to appoint manager
CARETAKER manager Paul Davis will be in charge of Stratford Town into the new year with chairman Jed McCrory admitting he is in no rush to bring in anyone on a permanent basis.
It will mean the club’s head coach will be at the helm for a chaotic run of five festive fixtures over 15 days starting with Saturday’s match at home to Bromsgrove Sporting. The Bards will then visit Alvechurch on Boxing Day, host Kettering Town (28th Dec) and AFC Telford United (1st Jan) before heading to Leiston (4th Jan).
McCrory said: “I have a good relationship with Paul having known him for the past 15 years. He is a good coach and will be supported by Tom Shepperd from the academy and our physio Nadine Tipple.
“I have also been able to bring in a pro licence coach who has worked in the Premiership and Football League who has been working with Paul at some of the training sessions and who has also helped on the analysis side, looking at the opposition for us.
“We are also fortunate that senior players have also stepped up to the mark following the departure of Gavin Hurren. Jamie Molyneux is the perfect example in that he has been happy to support Paul and the others on the bench while he is injured.”
Since taking charge at the end of last month, Davis has an unblemished record in the league having guided the Bards to three wins, including Saturday’s 2-0 victory at fellow promotion hopefuls Stamford. The only negative was the defeat to West Bromwich Albion in the Birmingham Senior Cup.
McCrory added: “We had only won one in five before he took over and not only have been won the last three, but we’ve also kept three clean sheets in a row which I believe is the first time we’ve done that since 2014.
“Those results have taken us up to fourth in the table and with the best defensive record in the league, having conceded just 16 goals in 19 games. We have moved into the play-offs a little bit under the radar and at the moment I’m happy to keep things as they area, ticking along and chipping away at those above us.”
Saturday’s match at home to Bromsgrove could see an old favourite return to the squad although the Bards will be without their leading scorer.
Midfielder Ashley Sammons returned to the club earlier this month and should be available for selection, but Callum Ebanks misses out having been sent off in the win at Stamford on Saturday. And with it being his second red card of the season, the strike will also miss the Boxing Day game at Alvechurch.
“I’m frustrated with Callum’s sending off,” McCrory admitted. “He is being targeted by opposition defenders but is not being given the protection by referees. He needs to learn how to deal with this because this latest suspension means he will have missed five games in total – that’s a quarter of our matches so far. That is totally unacceptable and something that I will be addressing.
“Ash Sammons is a player who can bring us something different in midfield and because he knows the club already, he should be able to slot straight in.”
