Hadleigh United’s caretaker management team, of Andy Lambert and Andy Crisp, were delighted with their side’s spirited performance during Saturday’s narrow 1-0 home defeat to in-form Walsham-le-Willows.
Following previous manager Shane Wardley’s decision to stand down from his post last week, Reserves manager Lambert and his assistant Crisp were asked to take over on a temporary basis, until a permanent appointment is made, probably by the end of this month.
And the Brettsiders began life, post-Wardley, with a gutsy display against a Walsham side who are up to third in the Thurlow Nunn Premier table.
“The chances were there, especially in the first half, and the boys are gutted in there. They have beaten themselves up on the pitch, for little mistakes,” explained caretaker boss Lambert.
“That is a massive plus for us – the players are gutted that they have lost 1-0, and the effort was there – which was all we asked of them today.
“They put a shift in, they worked hard for each other and worked hard individually. If they continue to do that, then the results will come.
“Walsham are a very good side, so to see them running the clock down at 1-0, that’s a big plus for our players. They should be proud of what they have done.
“There’s a lot to build on here. They’ve set themselves a benchmark now, and we expect to see that same effort week-in, week-out. We can concentrate on the other stuff now, the football, and with a bit more work on the training field we can hopefully get the points at Haverhill Rovers next weekend.”
With regards the news of Wardley’s sudden departure, caretaker Lambert said: “I got a phone call, out of the blue, on Wednesday morning. It was a complete surprise.
“We had trained on Tuesday night, and then on Wednesday morning I got a phone call from the chairman (Rolf Beggerow) to say that Shane had made his decision.
“Shane had thought long and hard about it. He thought that he had done all he could do, which he had – he had been honest and upfront, and decided it was the right time for him to leave.
“Andy (Crisp) and I got asked whether we would step in, which of course we are more than happy to do.”
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