Erith Town appoint Adam Woodward - the club's most successful manager - as director of the club

ERITH TOWN chairman Mark Deveney has appointed Adam Woodward a director of the Bayliss Avenue club.

Woodward was appointed first-team manager at The Dockers in May 2017 and is the most successful manager in the club’s history.

The Dockers won promotion into the Isthmian League for the very first time, by winning the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division play-offs and also lifted the Challenge Cup and Kent Senior Trophy during a successful 2023-24 campaign.

Woodward guided the club to a fourteenth-place finish in their maiden Isthmian League South East Division season - the club's highest ever finish - but is suffering Second Season Syndrome and find themselves in the relegation zone of the eighth-tier League at Christmas.

Woodward stepped down from the manager’s hot-seat minutes after their 2-0 home defeat to Crowborough Athletic on Saturday.

“Although Adam may have decided to step down from first-team duties, it was always the plan for him to join the board and continue his work behind the scenes with our long-term strategy off the pitch,” said Mr Deveney in a statement.

“Erith Town’s evolution from literally nothing in May 2017 to where we are now have been solely down to a small number of loyal people at the club.

“Without doubt Adam’s ambition and drive for us to be the best non-league club in the area has been absolutely key to our progression and I am genuinely pleased this will continue.

“Everyone at the club has been here for a number of years now and we are not prepared to become a club that floats around with no intention of moving upwards.  We have done the hard yards and look forward to more.

“It is very important to always remember that Erith Town is a football club, not a project.”

Mr Deveney, who also joined the club at the same time as Woodward, has appointed senior players Calum McGeehan and Aaron Jeffrey as interim-managers for the vital relegation six-pointer against fellow strugglers VCD Athletic at Bayliss Avenue on Saturday 3 January (15:00), as today marks the final day for applications for the manager's vacancy.

The trip to Beckenham Town – originally scheduled for 27 December – was brought forward to Tuesday 2 December and Woodward told www.kentishfootball.co.uk that he was prepared to step down, as did his opposite counterpart, Del Oldfield.

Since that rain-lashed 1-1 draw at Eden Park Avenue, Beckenham Town have picked up seven points from their following five games, while Erith Town have lost to both Jersey Bulls (1-3) and Crowborough Athletic and have slipped down a couple of places during that period.

With VCD Athletic hosting Deal Town on Saturday, the two sides could swap places in the table by the time the match kicks off.

The bottom eight sides going into Christmas are Eastbourne Town (27 points from 23 out of 42 games), Ashford United (25 points from 22 games), Sevenoaks Town (25 points from 23 games) and Hassocks (23 points from 23 games).

The four clubs inside the drop zone are Erith Town (23 points – four wins, eight draws and 11 defeats), VCD Athletic (19 points from 23 games), Beckenham Town (17 points from 24 games) and East Grinstead Town (four points from 22 games).

Wishing Merry Christmas to their fan-base, friends and families, Mr Deveney added: “2006 will be interesting, never underestimate The Dockers!”

Visit Erith Town’s website: www.erithtown.com