BILLERICAY: Statham sacked

By david ward sport@gazettenews. co.uk

BILLERICAY Town have dramatically sacked manager Brian Statham and his assistant Barry Lakin after a season fighting against relegation from the Ryman League Premier Division.

With only six league matches left after last night's scheduled home game against play-off contenders Sutton United and the Blues four points off the relegation zone and desperate for points, chairman Steve Kent's move to sack the duo so late on has left many New Lodge fans querying such a bizarre decision.

"My decision was purely a footballing one," declares Kent. "They brought in some good players to the club and played some decent football but we never really got going this season."

Trying to placate supporters' worry over the timing of the sackings, he said: "When I decided it was time for a change I felt it in the best interest of all concerned to make the split sooner rather than later."

Kent, who has taken a gamble by installing reserve and youth team manager John Mifsud as temporary boss despite having no experience of bossing at Ryman League level, says it would have been unfair on Statham and Lakin to carry on and planning for next season when he was intent on making a managerial change.

With the current Town squad mainly made up of Statham's signings Kent understandably is calling on them to show "self pride and a professional attitude and repay the faith Statham and Lakin had shown them."

Obviously Saturday's disappointing 1-1 home draw against fellow strugglers Cray Wanderers – the Blues snatched a 90th minute equaliser – was the final straw for Kent who felt the players showed "little desire" to score against one of the leakiest defences in the league.

This was in complete comparison to the previous Saturday's fine all round performance in their 2-0 win at Horsham where Kent felt they were "magnificent having worked their socks off."

Statham's main problems during his first season at New Lodge was a lack of consistency by the players he brought in at the expense of proven and also fans' popular current players at the club.

Some of Statham's signings, noticeably strikers James Baker and Chris Sullivan, proved disastrous for a side that constantly failed to find the net.

Whilst defensively the Blues have been sound, conceding less goals (37) than other sides in the division apart from Sutton, it's up front where they have been found wanting scoring just 36 goals this season with only Maidstone United scoring less (33).