Alcester Town not going to rush to find a new manager
CHAIRMAN Steve McAdam revealed applications to fill the soon-to-be vacant first team manager’s role at Alcester Town have already flooded in – but stressed the club will not rush into making an appointment.
Following Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Inkberrow, the Romans announced that Matt Seeley and his assistant Craig Gasiewski would be stepping down from their roles at the end of the Midland League Division Two campaign.
While the Stratford Road Ground club has not officially advertised the manager’s job, McAdam told the Herald there’s been plenty of interest in the position.
“We’ve already had a couple of people approach us and we’ve had a few conversations, but we’re not going to rush into making an appointment,” he said.
“We want to make sure we find the right person who can take us to the next stage. We’ve got aspirations to advance beyond where we are.
“In terms of the next manager, we want someone with a proven record and has good knowledge of the local football scene. We also want the next manager to come to us with a coaching team.”
McAdam added: “We’ve got plenty of time to find who we feel is the right person to come on board. When people see the facilities and aspirations we have at Alcester Town, I’m sure we will find the right person for the job.”
Although disappointed to see Seeley depart at the end of the season, McAdam understood his reasons for doing so and was grateful for the success he had brought to the club.
During his first stint with the Romans, Seeley guided the club to the 2018-19 Midland League Division Three title and promotion to Division Two, as well as the semi-finals of the Birmingham Saturday Vase where they lost to Enville Athletic.
After departing for Division One outfit Paget Rangers for the null and void 2019-20 campaign, Seeley returned to the Romans where he would go on to claim more silverware, winning the Post Covid Lockdown Charity Cup in June last year. He also got them to the semi-finals of the Smedley Crooke Memorial Charity Cup where they would lose to higher-ranked Malvern Town.
“Matt’s decision to leave at the end of the season certainly came as a surprise, but I understand his reasons and respect that decision,” said McAdam.
“During his two stints as manager he has brought success and some really good players to the club. It’s a little bit disappointing that this season has not gone as well as we had hoped for, but overall I cant criticise Matt because he’s been so successful in the years he has been here.”
Seeley has certainly played his part in Alcester’s progression and has thoroughly enjoyed his time at the Stratford Road Ground.
However, with his plumbing and heating business taking on a lot of work, his young son wanting to go into football and a wish to take on a manager’s job closer to home, Seeley felt now was the right time to step away from his duties at the Romans.
Looking back on his time with the club, Seeley told the Herald: “I think it’s been really successful. In my time here I managed to get them promoted into Midland League Division Two, brought in some really high calibre players, won the Post Covid Lockdown Charity Cup and also got them to a cup semi-final against Malvern Town.
“The reason I am leaving is nothing to do with the club. I love everybody at Alcester Town and I’ve got a lot of time for them. They’re a great bunch of people, but with how my work is picking up, my son wanting to do football training and the travel, I just want something a little closer to home where I can be with players I have grown up with.
“I feel like I could have stayed at the club until I was 80 years old, but I want to progress and that’s why I decided it was time to move on.”