Barham ends reign as Sidley manager

Laskey, who moves up from assistant manager, and Miles, who was player-coach, were appointed at a committee meeting on Monday night.

Barham, pictured below, stepped down for personal reasons immediately after Sidley, who are third-bottom of Sussex Division One, were beaten for the ninth time in 11 league games at Wick on Saturday.

But Laskey, who ran the side for the previous two seasons prior to Barham taking over in the summer, is confident of arresting the current slide and keeping the club in the top flight of the county game.

"Without a doubt," he said. "I see no reason for us to be in the position we're in apart from the obvious one that we've not got the right results. When we've got our full squad available, we've got a squad more than capable of competing in County One and not struggling around the bottom."

Such positive comments have been endorsed by Barham, whose considerable off-the-field commitments brought an end to his first managerial job.

"I definitely think they will stay up," Barham commented. "They just need to carry on working hard and doing what they're doing. I couldn't have asked for a more honest bunch of lads, but I've been very, very unlucky with injuries this year."

He also backed Laskey and Miles to take over the reigns and praised their work while he was at the club.

"Andy Laskey deserves a lot of credit for sticking at it as long as he does," Barham continued. "I couldn't have wished for anyone better. And Keith is Keith: he's a good coach and still does a good job playing. Both of them together I'm sure will do a good job. I would just like to say thanks to the players, the board and, most of all, Andy and Keith."

Chairman Dickie Day added: "It was more or less unanimous that we don't want to get someone new in which could work out to be disruptive. We just think it's best that Keith Miles and Andy Laskey carry on as joint managers really. That's what I wanted to happen because I just feel, at this stage of the season, there isn't a lot of choice."

The new joint managers' first match in charge will be away to fourth-placed Arundel on Saturday January 28. Jimmy Watson (holiday) is still absent, but Steve Morris (calf) should be fit.

Sidley are back at Gullivers on Tuesday for a Hastings Senior Cup first round tie against Westfield, kick-off 7.45pm.