Cook and Beckingham named as joint bosses

Former Bromley Green boss Cook returned to Reachfields on Tuesday to team up with Beckingham who stood down as the manager of East Grinstead Town to succeed Dixon who left after 16 months at the helm following his side's 2-1 defeat at Walton Casuals on Saturday.

The result left the Cannons third from bottom with just four points from a possible 30 after their ten league outings before goalkeeping coach Mark Lane stepped in to guide the Cannons to a 2-1 home win over Whitstable Town on Tuesday night, their first league victory of the season.

In a statement on their website, the Cannons said Lane has agreed to stay on at the club after officials moved swiftly to replace Dixon with Cook and Beckingham who will be introduced to fans at an upcoming "meet the managers" evening.

Hythe Town chairman Paul Markland said: “The board is pleased to appoint Clive and Tony who bring experience and contacts. We’ve moved quickly as we need to settle things down and start to rack up the points to avoid the club being involved in a relegation scrap.

"I've recently stepped back into the chairmanship as John Dowsett is abroad for a few months. In my previous 12 year tenure the club went from the bottom of the Kent League to the Ryman play-offs so I’m not used to failure. I expect Clive and Tony to quickly build up momentum.”

Cook said: “It’s good to be back at Hythe Town, a club close to my heart and one that deserves success. We have a week to prepare for the Tooting & Mitcham away league game, followed by two cup games, so are going to be busy.

"Hythe don’t have a league game this coming Saturday but we hope to arrange a friendly at Reachfields instead so we can get a good look at the squad.”

Beckingham added: “I’m excited about the challenge at Hythe Town and look forward to working with everyone involved. There are some good players here already and we expect to add a couple more soon.”

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