Anthony Williams leaves AFC Croydon Athletic for Chipstead job while Holmesdale axe Byron Beard after relegating club with 20 defeats in 30 games in disasterous spell in charge

AFC CROYDON ATHLETIC began the search for a new manager yesterday after Antony Williams quit the club to take charge of Ryman League side Chipstead.

Williams joined the club in May 2012 at a time when they had only just been accepted into the Combined Counties League having formed in February.

He has guided the side ever since and in those four years has achieved promotion and two cup successes.

He was in control for 166 games of which 96 were wins and 17 draws.

In 2013 the Rams won the Combined Counties League Division One Challenge Cup at the first time of asking.

In 2015 there was County Cup success as the side lifted the London Senior Trophy but the real success was securing promotion after finishing runners-up in the league.

The club were rewarded with promotion into the Southern Counties East Football League and they finished a respectable eleventh-place in the table, having won 13, drawn seven and lost 16 of their games, without a budget.

Chairman Paul Smith said that he was sad to receive the call but understood the reasons behind his return to Chipstead.

The Surrey side escaped relegation from the Ryman League Division One South by finishing fourth-from-bottom in the league, nine points clear of relegated Walton & Hersham, who were joined in the drop zone by Whitstable Town and Peacehaven & Telscombe.

Williams first joined Chipstead as a youth team player and played over 200 senior games for the High Road based club.  He was a member of the club’s promotion winning side in 2006-07.

“Antony has been very much part of the development of the club over the last four years and leaves us in a much better position than he found us when he came on board,” Mr Smith said in his statement, which was posted on the club website.

“He has worked tirelessly and I have no doubt that he will be successful in his next role in football. His new team are very lucky to have someone like him at the helm.

“On behalf of the board, the supporters and all associated with the club, I want to sincerely thank Antony for all his work and many achievements that he has had while our manager.

“We are sad to see him go but he leaves on good terms and with our very good wishes.”

The AFC Croydon Athletic board will meet over the next few days to begin the process of selecting a replacement.

The Thornton-Heath based club said that an appointment will be announced in the next few weeks ahead of the start of pre-season.

Meanwhile, Bromley based outfit Holmesdale also begin the search for a new manager after axing Byron Beard yesterday.

The club finished bottom of the Southern Counties East Football League table having won only four and drawing eight of their 36 games and became the first team to be relegated from the league.

They will be competing in the newly-created Division One next season after it was decided to merge with the five-year-old Kent Invicta League.

Beard lost 20 of his 30 games in charge of Holmesdale during his six month spell, drawing seven and winning three and the club finished a sorry 15 points adrift of the team immediately above them, Croydon.

He now has two relegations on his CV after Farnborough Old Boys Guild lost their Kent County League Premier Division status.

“The club wishes to thank Byron for his hard work and commitment in extremely challenging circumstances,” said a Holmesdale statement.

“He inherited the side in a precarious position and was unable to arrest the slide that saw us finish the season at the bottom of the league.

“The committee felt a change was needed and we will be interviewing candidates over the next week.”

Visit AFC Croydon Athletic website: http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/afccroydonathletic

Visit Holmesdale’s website: www.pitchero.com/clubs/holmesdalefc