Laughlin: Keep calm and carry on

Belper Town stalwart Dave Laughlin is determined to get the EVO-STIK League's Nailers back on track after chairman Alan Benfield and two key directors followed former manager Aaron Webster out of Christchurch Meadow on Monday.

Just 24 hours on from launching the hunt for a successor to Burton Albion legend Webster after he paid the price for ending the season with a run of six straight defeats, the club's company secretary added a new chairman or woman to his list of urgent recruits after Benfield and fellow local businessmen Chris Balls and Paul Waldron announced their resignations.

Benfield dropped what Laughlin called a "bombshell" in a short statement to fellow directors, telling them: “We feel that we have taken the club as far as we can but we wish you all the success you deserve and thank you for all the good times over the years.”

An upbeat Laughlin has been involved at The Marstons Stadium since 1979 and was the EVO-STIK League South club's long-serving secretary before handing over to current incumbent Ian Wright last summer. In a statement also dismissing reports of an oversee investor and flagging up an upcoming forum for fans, he told them the Nailers were in good shape financially and were confident of attracting new volunteers as well as directors.

Laughlin, pictured, said: “Alan and Chris have been valuable board members for 25 years with Paul being involved more recently. There is no doubt that their involvement and financial support will be badly missed but the club will carry on with the remaining directors and will look to make boardroom replacements over the next couple of months.

“The hope is that we can identify interested individuals who would be prepared to get involved with the club at board level and help the remaining directors build for the future. There have been rumours circulating about a possible sale of the club to an overseas investor but I’m pleased to say that these have not come to fruition and the club will remain in local hands, with local people making the decisions for the benefit of the club.

“There is no doubt that these are challenging times for the club but I am confident that with the drive and enthusiasm of the remaining board members, we can rebuild the club after what has been a desperately difficult season. We are fortunate that we own our own stadium, have facilities that are as good as any club at our level and our finances are manageable, despite the ongoing challenges of operating at our level in the National League System.

“We are in a great position to move forward positively and with planning consent achieved for a new artificial training pitch at the stadium, we hope to make this a reality over the next 12 months so that the club can be fully self-reliant. In the meantime, we have started the process of appointing a new manager to success Aaron Webster and will also be looking to supplement our band of club volunteers on whom we depend to ensure that the club operates efficiently."

He added: “Accordingly, we would be interested in hearing from any individuals that would like to become involved with the club both on match days and throughout the week, with a variety of voluntary roles available across the club. We plan to hold a supporters meeting shortly to give everyone an opportunity of giving their views on how the club should move forward and to ask the board any questions about the general running of the club.”

Webster and his number two Lee Williamson paid the price for Belper Town's disastrous end to the 2017-18 EVO-STIK League season and 2-0 reverse at Newcastle Town on the last day of the season when they were sacked on Sunday. The rookie duo took their first steps into management in December following the resignations of Anthony Danylyk and Paul Donnelly.

The Nailers are inviting potential successors with experience at Northern Premier League level to send their footballing CVs to secretary Ian Wright at info@belpertownfc.co.uk.

Images courtesy of @BelperTownFC/Twitter

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