Hythe Town appoint title-winning manager Andrew Crush while his former club Hawkinge Town fight for a place in Step Six after the FA deny them promotion over FA criteria requirements around groundshares

HYTHE TOWN chairman Vishal Nanda has appointed title-winning manager Andrew Crush as their new manager after suffering the worst season in the club’s history.

The Cannons finished at the foot of the ninth-tier Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division after picking up only 20 points (five wins, five draws and 26 defeats) to suffer back-to-back relegations.

The club went through five managers in the shape of Ira Jackson (21 games in all competitions, six wins, two draws and 13 defeats), Darren Beale (nine games, no wins, four draws and five defeats), Andy Drury (eight games, two wins, one draw and five defeats) and caretaker managers Henry Newcombe (one game, one defeat) and Adam Keil (five games and five defeats).

The Reachfields Stadium outfit finished one point behind Stansfeld and 19 points adrift of third-from-bottom side Chislehurst Glebe, who comfortably stayed up.

“Andy joins the club with experience at this level, a strong work ethic and a real desire to help rebuild and move the football club forward,” said a club statement.

“After managing Deal Town Reserves, where he showed his ability to organise players, build a competitive side and create a positive team environment, Andy moved on to Hawkinge Town where he guided the club to a League title.

“Yes, it was at a lower level, but what stood out was the way his side played. Hawkinge were organised, hard-working and scored an impressive 119 goals during their title winning season, showing the attacking and positive style Andy wants his teams to play with.

“This appointment is not about bringing in a flashy name for headlines. It is about bringing in somebody the club believes is the right fit for the rebuild and the direction we want to move in.

“From the very first conversations, Andy showed honesty, commitment and a clear understanding of what is needed to help build a competitive side at Hythe Town.

“He wants hard working players, good standards around the dressing room and a team supporters can connect with and get behind.

“Andy is also a young manager who is committed to improving himself and enhancing his knowledge at every opportunity.  His attitude towards learning, development and pushing standards higher is something the club believes will show over time both on and off the pitch.

“He is well respected amongst many players across non-league football and we believe supporters will start to see that as recruitment begins ahead of the new season.

“Andy is keen to build the right balance within the squad by bringing in stronger senior players, including players with experience from the League above, alongside some of the younger players who made a positive impact during a difficult season for the club.

“The aim is to build a hungry and competitive squad capable of fighting to win the League, while also showing supporters that Hythe Town can play good football and move forward in the right direction.

“Following a difficult year for everybody connected with the club, this is about resetting properly, rebuilding with purpose and putting solid foundations back in place for the future.

“Now is the time for everybody to pull together and get behind the new management team as we begin the next chapter for Hythe Town Football Club.”

Hawkinge Town claimed the eleventh-tier NRG Gyms Kent County League Premier Division title following their 4-1 win at Canterbury City at the weekend, a result that condemns Canterbury City to back-to-back relegations.

Hawkinge Town have delivered the title by collecting 85 points (27 wins, four draws and five defeats) and finished five points clear of a Minster side that share Margate’s Hartsdown Park.

It was the first time that Hawkinge Town have won the Kent County League Premier Division title but The Football Association have denied the club promotion into the tenth-tier (Step Six) Southern Counties East Football League First Division, which had eight of its 18 clubs share with other clubs during the season just finished.

Champions AFC Greenwich Borough, the artist formerly known as Welling United's Academy (sharing Holmesdale, in Bromley) and play-off winners SE Dons (Chatham Town) do not play at their own grounds and didn't work their way up via the Kent County League and were placed in Step Six.

“This is a huge achievement for everyone involved with the club and we would like to place on record our congratulations to Andy, Marc and Josh,” said a Hawkinge Town statement.

“This success is built on the commitment, hard work and togetherness shown across the entire campaign, including those who have contributed along the way.

“Whilst we celebrate this historic moment, we must also express our disappointment that, despite having secured a groundshare agreement months ago at a compliant ground for the 2026-27 season, at a time when promotion was far from guaranteed, the club has not been granted promotion to the Southern Counties East Football League First Division due to FA criteria requirements around groundshares.

“It is clear that the current system presents challenges not just for ourselves but for many clubs across the non-league pyramid.

“To win a League title and not be in a position to progress highlights an issue that we feel needs to be addressed moving forward.

“The club can also confirm that the first-team management group will be departing to take up a new opportunity.

“Despite our best efforts to convince the trio to stay, which included moving to the groundshare next season to challenge for promotion at a state of the art stadium, it was unfortunately not enough.

“We would like to place on record our sincere thanks to Andrew, Marc and Joshua for everything they have given to the team.

“It has been a pleasure working with them and they leave not only with our full respect but as friends of the club.

“We fully support them in their next move and understand that football moves quickly and opportunities such as this have to be taken when they arise.  We hope to see them continue their great work elsewhere.”

The club has already received at least 15 applications for the managers vacancy and you can declare an interest by emailing htfcenquiries@hotmail.com.

“The club still fully intends to fight for Step 6 football next season, so the vision remains to compete at the groundshare with the aim of promotion next season. This will, however, be subject to agreement with the new management team.

“Finally, we would like to thank our supporters, volunteers, sponsors and everyone connected with Hawkinge Town FC for their incredible backing throughout the season. Your support means everything to us.”