Grantham Town can today confirm that they have turned to former Manager Paul Rawden to support the club as first team manager for the upcoming season.
The club were in advance negotiations with a management team but unfortunately due the magnitude of the task, having to rebuild a complete 16 man squad on a significantly reduced budget, and time not on our side they decided to withdraw their interest but haven’t closed the door.
Interim Chair, Sophie Cope added it was a massive blow to not get it over the line. "Given the timescale available and conscious of other teams being very proactive this year announcing retention lists and new signings very early, it was very clear we needed to be proactive.
I approached two guys who are currently without a club since leaving their previous club on the conclusion of the 2022/23 season at step 4. The duo had done a remarkable job on a similar budget building a team from scratch and finishing in the top 10 but unfortunately it just wasn’t the right time for them.
Having then spoke to 3 other candidates it became clear very quickly that it is just too big a task given the timescales. Someone like Paul has been in and around the game for a number of years and has a lot contacts which became the deciding factor in the end."
Sophie added "For now all I can hope is we can get back to enjoying winning some football matches and get behind the team whoever is in the dugout"
Paul Rawden added "It's been a busy 24 hours on the phone making sure we hit the ground running but I’m looking forward to the challenge again. It will be great to see the Supporters again. A lot has happened recently and I hope we can get smiles on their faces quick"
There will be further updates in the coming days regarding coaching staff and players.
Comments