Survival will spell success for Warrilow

Tommy Warrilow is on a mission to preserve the Ryman League status of Cray Wanderers after being unveiled as the club's fourth manager of the season on Monday.

Warrilow, pictured, won promotion to Conference South from the Ryman Premier during a seven year reign at Tonbridge Angels and left the club last season following relegation.

The new Wands manager had been scouting for Ebbslfeet this season before Steve Brown's departure from Stonebridge Road in November and will hope to hit the ground running in his first game in charge on Tuesday night when ninth-placed Thurrock visit Hayes Lane.

Warrilow scored twice for the club in five appearances for the Wands in their last campaign at Oxford Road during the 1997-98 season and succeeds former joint manager Gary Abbott.

He briefly took sole charge in December after Mike Paye moved upstairs to the boardroom, his last game at the helm a 1-0 defeat at Chatham Town on Saturday 27 December.

Abbott and Paye had replaced Keith Bird in November and Warrilow has a tough battle for survival on his hands with the Wands currently second-from-bottom in Ryman North, having collected three wins and eight draws so far from their 25 games.

The world's second oldest club haven't played Southern Counties East Football League level (the old Kent League) football since 2004 and Cray Wanderers chairman Gary Hillman is backing Warrilow to save their season with 21 fixtures still to be played.

In the statement announcing his appointment, Hillman said: "It's obvious that something had to be done to give us a chance to stay up this season. Tommy is vastly experienced and used to working at a higher level and we are very pleased that he has joined us to try and kick start our season."

He added: "We have got in to a losing mentality lately and I don't think Gary Abbott stood a chance getting out of this because of that and we needed to freshen things up and get a positive attitude around the club."

Image courtesy of www.courier.co.uk

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