We’ll just have to keep fighting until I don’t feel like I can affect things positively any more or someone tells me to get my coat and go, says under-pressure Tunbridge Wells boss Steve Ives, while Adam Griffin quits Beckenham Town job after thrashing

TUNBRIDGE WELLS manager Steve Ives says he has had a low week and has had to look at the mirror with his side facing a relegation scrap in the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division.

The Wells grabbed a place in the Last 128 of The FA Vase yesterday, needing penalties to beat tenth-tier side Stansfeld, following a goal-less draw at Culverden Stadium.

But with Petts Wood & Holmesdale beating Beckenham Town 5-1 at Eden Park Avenue, that has brought the news that Adam Griffin has resigned as Beckenham Town manager after only 15 games in charge of the club.

Griffin, who won his first three games in charge at the start of the season, has suffered seven straight defeats (eight games without a win) and decided to step down from the Eden Park Avenue outfit today.

“After much consideration I have decided to resign.  I would like to thank all the players for their efforts and wish the club the best for the future,” said Griffin.

Griffin won four, drawn two and lost nine of his games in charge of the club, that suffered its first relegation in their history after losing their Isthmian League status after four seasons.

Adam Griffin’s first manager’s job ends after 15 games and with Beckenham Town in the relegation zone:

League – Home – Hollands & Blair – W1-0
FA Cup Extra Preliminary Round – Home – Horley Town – W3-2
FA Vase First Qualifying Round – Home  - Sutton Athletic – W2-1
League – Home – AFC Greenwich Borough – D1-1
FA Cup Preliminary Round – away – Camberley Town – L2-3
League – away – Phoenix Sports – L0-5
League – Home – Chislehurst Glebe – W2-0
League – Home – Larkfield & New Hythe – D1-1
FA Vase Second Qualifying Round – Home AFC Varndeanians – L1-2
League – away – Rusthall – L1-3
League – away – Tunbridge Wells – L0-1
League – Home – Sutton Athletic – L2-3
League – Home – SE Dons – L0-5
League – away – Kennington – L0-2
League – Home – Petts Wood & Holmesdale – L1-5

Griffin, who took over from Del Oldfield, is a coach at a youth football development and coaching organisation, but there is a big difference between coaching at that level and football management in the ninth-tier of English football and Beckenham Town will have to get their next appointment bang on.

Tunbridge Wells, meanwhile, have now extended their winless run to five games (yesterday’s FA Vase result is classed as a draw) and it’s now one win in their last 10 games (across all competitions).

With two league games being played yesterday, Tunbridge Wells have slipped down a place into the bottom three with nine points (two wins, three draws) from their 10 of 34 league outings, with Beckenham Town (eight points, two wins, two draws and seven defeats) and Erith & Belvedere (three points from 10) beneath them in the relegation zone.

Ives took positives after keeping a clean-sheet yesterday, after being thrashed 5-1 at home to Phoenix Sports last weekend and with league games against play-off trio Bearsted (away, 24 October), SE Dons (home, 7 November) and leaders Fisher (away, 14 November), to come, Tunbridge Wells’ new players must hit the ground running.

Goalkeeper Cameron Hall, 27, was handed his first start of the season, while new arrivals were Oliver Palmer (dual-registered from Hastings United), Ryan Cheek (unattached), Lynos Rwodzi (FC Revo, Kent County League Premier), Connor Morrow (Rotherfield, Mid Sussex Premier) and Jeff Duah-Kessie (unattached) coming in.

“I’ll be honest with you Steve, I’ve had a low week but we’ve had to look at the mirror big time, me included,” said Ives, who never hides when facing the post-match questions, unlike some I can think of around the circuit!

“When you lose 5-1 at home, you have to consider if you’re still the right person to do the job and to be fair we had heart of hearts with a lot of the players, a lot of the people that run the club.  I’m still here, so it was important that there was some sort of response (against Stansfeld yesterday) and yes I guess, there was one.”

When asked about his side’s form of one win in their last 10 across all competitions, Ives replied, “Is that what it is?  I’ve always been my hardest critic. I’ve got a massive amount of connection and infinity with the people that come and support this club and the people that run the club.

“Look, for now I’m just going to have a break from the league. I’m not going to worry what I can’t affect right now. We’ve got the Kent Senior Trophy next week against Kennington.

“it’s a relentless league.  You ain’t going to have no easy days, even the two teams that are currently in the bottom two. They are big clubs and they’ve got history of rolling the dice and putting a few quid at it when they need to.

“I don’t know if they’re able to now, it’s none of my business, but all I do know is I put my own pressure on myself because I do not want to be responsible for Tunbridge Wells getting themselves into a bit of a mess.

“We’ve had moments every season I’ve been here when we’ve took a dip in form but we’ve always managed to be resilient and always managed to come through it.

“We’ll just have to keep fighting until I don’t feel like I can affect things positively any more or someone tells me to get my coat and go.

“I think I’ve got enough credit in the bank. That ain’t likely to happen but you know you can’t keep losing games of football can you?

“But we were unbeaten at home (in the league) until Phoenix turned us over 5-1, it’s just our away form.  Our away form has been disastrous and luckily we’re at home next week.”

Ives revealed that he is going to be at full-strength against third-placed Kennington, in the Kent Senior Trophy First Round, at Culverden Stadium next Saturday.

“I think because we don’t have any midweek games – we don’t have one scheduled until we have the Rusthall game on Monday 28 December – so we’ve only got to focus on one game a week and I think when you’re in that position, you’ve got to go the strongest you can every single time.

“The strongest 11 will be based on what happens in training over the week, will be the team that will take on Kennington.

“They’ve already beaten us once, beat us 3-1. I think it was a close game. We’ve chucked a couple of goals away there, had a penalty saved, which the linesman decided Bents (goalkeeper George Bentley) was off his line and they re-took it. I’ve watched it back on the veo and he wasn’t off his line!”

Tunbridge Wells  v  Kennington
Go Cardless Kent Senior Trophy First Round
Saturday 17 October 2026
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Culverden Stadium, Culverden Down, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 9SG