Bay boss announces his departure

Herne Bay have announced that manager Kevin Watson will leave the club following today's match against Champions Bishop's Stortford.

Kevin released a statement via the club website:

"It is with sadness that I announce this Saturday's game against Bishop Stortford will be my last as the first team manager of Herne Bay. The decision to leave has been a difficult one and yet I feel it is the right one. It is difficult in the sense that I feel connected to the club, having got to know a lot of passionate people involved and supporting the club since arriving in late November. The right one in terms of what will be best, with the club needing to re-adjust its priorities and ambitions to stabilise things moving forward under a new chairman and board of directors. I need to make it abundantly clear that this decision has not been made as a result of relegation but rather other mitigating circumstances.

When I left Cray Valley, I was privileged to be in a position where I had a few options available to further my managerial career. I chose Herne Bay because it represented to me the biggest challenge, with the club being at the bottom of the league. My intention at the time, based on agreements and assurances, was to stay for an extended period and certainly not to leave at the end of the season. Adam and myself came to the club with optimism, excitement and the belief we would push the club away from the bottom of the league and secure safety. Unfortunately, some of the initial agreements were not upheld which over time magnified the challenge we faced.

Despite those challenges, I would like to think that those who have witnessed performances over the last five months have experienced a style of play which was pleasing to watch and which statistically would have resulted in survival if over the course of the entire season."

Read more here.

Kevin took over at Bay in November, after leaving Cray Valley PM. He had taken the Millers to unprecedented heights, including an FA Vase Final, promotion to our ranks as SCEFL champions, an FA Cup run which took them to the First Round and included a win at National League side Maidenhead United, and a Play Off Semi-Final last season. He left them in fifth place in Pitching In Isthmian South East.

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