Albans is back after striker stands down

Jimmy Albans was unveiled as the new manager of Belper Town on Monday after player-manager Jon Froggatt stood down to concentrate on scoring goals in the EVO-STIK Northern Premier League.

Froggatt and his number two Mark Ward stood down from their duties as manager and assistant manager with the Nailers currently propping up the Premier Division table. The pair were appointed in October as the successors to former manager Peter Duffield who left the club after a poor run of results ended a successful stint in charge.

Albans, pictured, resigned as joint manager of Premier Division rivals Grantham in November, in the process leaving his long-time partner Wayne Hallcro to continue alone.

The new Nailers manager has asked his former keepers coach Michael Hogg to join him and hopes to appoint a new first team coach in the next few days to complete his touchline team at Christchurch Meadow.

In a club statement announcing the shake-up, Belper Town chairman Alan Benfield thanked Froggatt and Ward for their efforts and said he hoped both would opt to stay at the club and help them fight-off relegation.

Benfield said: "Recent performances and results have not been good enough to lift us out of our current predicament and we felt that we needed to take urgent action immediately to try to retain our status in the top division.

"Jon and Mark have worked really hard to try and turn things around since their appointment in October but I am sure that even they would admit that is has been a hugely difficult job for them in their first venture into club management.

"I would like to thank them both for their efforts over the past three months and I hope that they will both wish to continue to remain with the club on the playing side of things.

"In Jon’s case, he has been a massive presence at the club since he arrived at Christchurch Meadow from Wakefield FC in 2009. He has been our leading goal scorer in each of the past three seasons, scoring over 30 goals in each of the campaigns, and winning the league's 'golden boot' on two occasions."

Albans said: "My brief from the chairman is to do everything in my power to lift the team away from its precarious position at the wrong end of the table.

"I believe that this is entirely achievable given what I know about the quality of the players at the club and I can see no reason why we can’t dig ourselves out of the position we are in."

He added: "We will give all of the current players every opportunity to show us what they are capable of and with the playing structures that we plan to introduce, I am convinced that we will succeed in the club maintaining its Premier Division status."

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