Unfinished Business

Image Courtesy of Nantwich News

Stafford Rangers Football Club are delighted to announce that Neil Kitching and Nick Amos have been appointed First Team Manager and Assistant Manager.

The announcement ends two weeks of speculation, and both will lead the team for the first time when we travel to Kidsgrove Athletic on Saturday 1st February. On Thursday 30th January Neil and Nick will take their first training session at the club.

A great performance saw us get 3 vital points in yesterday’s home match with Wythenshawe FC. We thank Graham Deakin and staff immensely and congratulate him and the team on their win. Graham and his coaching team will manage the away fixture on Tuesday 28th January at Runcorn Linnets. Neil Kitching is also delighted that Graham has agreed to stay on as part of his coaching staff going forward.

The appointment of Kitching and Amos is the culmination of two weeks efforts by the club who advertised for the job determined that they would carry out a professional process to ensure that not only did we get someone with the right credentials but equally as important the best fit for Stafford Rangers going forward. A shortlist of candidates was finalised at the closing date for applications and interviews arranged at the earliest opportunity.

The interviews were conducted by John Hayne, Andy Fearn, Carol Bailey, Mark Evans, David Montgomery and David Smith and the final decision to appoint Neil and Nick was unanimous. The club believes that the process was an honest and careful one and with the highest level of integrity and most importantly confidentiality.

We all fervently believe that we can keep Rangers in this division, it is not an impossible task, but it is a difficult one, but we believe sincerely that we have the right people in to give us the best chance.

Neil Kitching’s excitement is evident and palpable.

This is our football club and feels like it always has been. We are thrilled and excited to accept the challenge. We have unfinished business at the club and still have the fight, desire, and passion. In the short term the overwhelming objective is to retain our position in the league and get this squad performing to its potential. Stafford Rangers should not be in their current position, and everyone will do everything to change that. Every game will be a cup final, and I want everyone to now come together as we fight for the badge, the club, and the future.

Kitchings record at this club is a good one. Over 200 games,97 wins,49 draws with 54 defeats. Our headline when he joined us in May 2014 was ‘Kitching rises to the Challenge ‘after the club had suffered a third relegation in 6 years.

He did not let anyone down. A resume of 4 years at the club delivered league promotion in 15/16 back to the NPL Premier Division when we became champions of the NPL Division 1 South with 95 points. This was followed by a Staffs Senior Cup and a final in the Walsall Senior Cup, combined with a decent run in the FA Trophy and FA Cup. He left us at the end of the 2017/18 season, but the club had left its mark on both Neil Kitching and Nick Amos. They return together with their very focussed coach Ian Cooper (Coops) and are prepared willing and able to rise to the challenge once more.

Neil comments:-

We believe that Stafford has a squad of talented players and more importantly for the club good people. We have an affinity with the fans and feel that we have the skill to develop a winning mentality on the field and bring everyone in the club together. Now let’s get at it.

Welcome home and good luck.

Now is the time that we need to come together and pull together and ask everyone to now get behind the club, the badge, and the new management team. It’s going to be hard work and one of the many challenges we have faced over the years but together we can do it.

Thank you.

Stafford Rangers FC