Gary Alexander takes charge of Greenwich Borough after Ian Jenkins is axed following incident with club director

GREENWICH BOROUGH have parted company with boss Ian Jenkins on Monday night after two years in the job following an incident with a club director.


 

Jenkins has had the biggest budget in Southern Counties East Football League history but failed to get the club promoted into the Ryman League last season, finishing in fourth-place in the table, 19 points adrift of promoted champions Phoenix Sports.

The club enjoyed their best ever FA Cup run that season, losing to Worcester City in the Fourth Qualifying Round and clinched two domestic trophies, the Kent Senior Trophy and Kent League Cup.

Earlier on this season, chairman Perry Skinner gave Jenkins a vote of confidence after eight games and gave him until Christmas to turn the club’s fortunes around.

Mr Skinner said on 20 September: “Me and my brother have told him that we will look at the situation come Christmas because he would’ve been in charge at the club for two years by then.

“He’s definitely under no pressure. We’re more than happy with the squad we’ve got, a bit disappointed with a couple of results and we’re making a few new signings and releasing a couple of players that aren’t quite up to it and stop people putting stuff on Twitter and Facebook baying for his blood.

“We’re 100% behind him. He knows, he’s fully aware that we’ll revaluate things at Christmas but to be honest we don’t see any change with the quality of the squad we’ve got we should be in and around the top two or three by then and more than challenging for promotion.

“He knows promotion is the ultimate aim and it depends whether we achieve that this year, so he knows what the score is and he knows how he stands within the club.

“I think he’s feeling pressure from outside the club.  I’ve had various managers texting me and phoning me up about the situation and I’ve just got to re-assure him that Greenwich Borough are happy with the manager that we’ve got at the moment. We’ll re-look at it at Christmas and see where we are by then.”

But true to the chairman’s word, Jenkins has been axed with the club currently sitting in second-place in the table having collected 12 wins, four draws and three defeats from their 19 games.

They are eight points adrift of leaders Hollands & Blair, who are playing at this level for the first time in their history after claiming back-to-back Kent Invicta League titles.

Greenwich Borough were held to a 2-2 draw by Beckenham Town on Saturday and a club statement, which was posted on the club’s website said Jenkins has left the club following an incident with a club director at Princes Park.

“Due to an incident between Ian Jenkins and one of our club directors before the Beckenham Town game on Saturday, the club were left with no alternative but to release Ian Jenkins from his position as first team manager of Greenwich Borough Football Club.

“We would like to thank Ian for his work with the club over the last two seasons and we wish him all the best for the future.”

Inevitably, the club has appointed Gary Alexander, 36, as their new manager with immediate effect for the rest of the season.

The former Millwall striker raised eyebrows when he dropped down from League Two side Burton Albion to sign for Greenwich Borough in the summer of 2014, but he scored 30 goals for the club last season and has found the net 18 times already this term.

Alexander has previous managerial experience with League One outfit Crawley Town in 2013 on an interim basis.

His first game in charge of Greenwich Borough will be on Saturday, at home to 12^th-placed Erith & Belvedere (13:00) in the Boxing Day local derby.

Visit Greenwich Borough’s website:  www.greenwichboroughfc.co.uk