Brewers stage swift handover

The new Taddy boss, who'd been coaching the EVO-STIK NPL First Division North club's youngsters at the i2i Football Academy since stepping down as assistant-manager last summer, was named on Wednesday, hours after Miller announced his departure 12 months on from winning promotion as Northern Counties East League champions.

Morton, pictured top right, will be assisted by newly appointed number two Simon Collins. The duo, who've both worked at Leeds United and Manchester City, are set to work closely with former York City and Leeds United striker Richard Cresswell after he was also unveiled as the new technical director at the UK and international academies at i2i Sports.

In statement on the club's website announcing the shake-up, Morton said: “First of all I just want to say that Billy has done a fantastic job leading Tadcaster Albion out of a tough Northern Counties Premier League at the very first attempt, as well as stabilising the club’s status in the Evo-Stik.

“Moving forward, myself and Simon are very excited for the job at hand and are thoroughly looking forward to getting started with the players. We said from day one that we wanted to do it and step up to the mark when the time was right. When the opportunity was presented to us we jumped at the chance."

He added: “We’ve seen quite a lot of this league and there’s no doubt that it is a high standard of football to compete in, but the prospect of competing at this level excites us both.”

The Brewers, who announced they'd booked Doncaster Rovers on Thursday as their first high profile pre-season friendly opponents of the summer on Saturday 15 July, paid tribute to Miller and the lasting "legacy" he created during his two years at the helm.

Tadcaster Albion chairman Matt Gore said: “I can safely say that bringing Billy on board was one of the best decisions we have made. Billy has been an absolute pleasure to work with, an all-round nice guy who has done so much more for the club than anyone will ever understand.

"We have developed a strong friendship out of football that will no doubt remain. Achieving promotion in his first season was an unbelievable feat. Collectively, we felt it was the right time to have a look at the situation due to the significant expansion of i2i Sports, Billy’s promotion at work, and [assistant manager] Matt Heath deciding he would be leaving the management team.

"Billy has left a lasting legacy at the club and who knows what the future holds. Billy, Matt and Richard Lawrence have done a magnificent job and we will always be grateful for their tremendous work and for the amazing memories created.”

Miller, who decided to step down after securing the club's EVO-STIK NPL status following a promotion to a director's role at Askham Bryan College, explained his reasons for leaving to supporters.

He said: "The extra responsibilities at work and the desire for the owners to bring the management of the club 'in house' at some point played a significant part in me choosing to step aside now. I’ve been a football manager for 18 years now. The time is right for me to spend more time with my family and friends and further my passion for music.

"I would like to thank everyone involved in the club - the magnificent players, the tremendous staff, the brilliant fans and the great volunteers," he added. "I have absolutely loved every minute and I am honoured to say I have managed this fantastic club."

Image courtesy of Tadcaster Albion

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