NEEDHAM Market manager Mark Morsley has quit the Bloomfields club.Morsley, 41, has been installed as AFC Sudbury's new manager in a move that will send shockwaves through the Suffolk non-league scene.

By Mike Bacon

NEEDHAM Market manager Mark Morsley has quit the Bloomfields club.

Morsley, 41, has been installed as AFC Sudbury's new manager in a move that will send shockwaves through the Suffolk non-league scene.

Since Morsley's arrival at Bloomfields three seasons ago, he has taken Needham Market out of the Ridgeons First Division and helped make them into a force to be reckoned with in the Premier Division.

They also won the Suffolk Senior Cup last season. It has been a culmination of finance and good man-management, and now it is three-time Vase finalists and five-times Eastern Counties champions Sudbury, who have offered him the position of first-team boss, after their management duo of Gary Harvey and Michael Cheetham said they were stepping down at the end of the season.

This week Morsley spoke of his excitement of the task ahead.

“I felt strange when I got the phone call last night to say I was being offered the job,” he said.

“It was a mixture of excitement and sadness. Obviously I'm sad because I have a lot of friends at Needham and we have come along way in three years, but it's a massively exciting time for me.

“I've a few loose ends to tie up with Needham, but I think it is fair to say they are in a better position than they were three years ago.

“The Sudbury job was one I just couldn't turn down, it's a massive job and there are things in place that are not at Needham. It will be a different ball game for me at Sudbury, the expectation and pressure will be much higher.”

One factor of Morsley's move to Sudbury, is how it leaves Needham financially. It is no secret Morsley put money into the club and attracted plenty of players.

But Needham vice-chairman Graham Emmerson said: “Mark goes with out blessing. He has taken the club to a different level in his time here. There are a few loose ends to tie up, but as a Club, we intend to carry on what we have achieved.

“We won't accept just sliding down the table, we know we are punching above our weight and we want to keep moving forward. There will be no problems on the financial side.”

Morsley is sure to take four or five players with him to King's Marsh Stadium from Bloomfields, as well as most of his backroom staff, including former East Bergholt manager and Needham coach Paul Skingley.

“I've never tried to pretend to be the best coach and I was never the greatest player, but I have good man-management skills and bring in quality people around me,” Morsley added.

Meanwhile applicants for the Needham job are now being sought, contact either Graham Emmerson on 07768 082783 or chairman Nick Francis on 07770 478933.