Haverhill Rovers chairman Ryan Churcher confirms under-23s and reserve sides for The New Croft next season
An exciting future lies ahead at The New Croft as Haverhill Rovers chairman Ryan Churcher confirmed the club will have under-23s and reserve sides competing next season that he hopes will ‘get the club to where it should be’.
The news will please supporters after Ben Cowling’s side had to postpone their trip to FC Peterborough two weeks ago because they were unable to field a team – which the club received a £500 fine for.
Rovers’ Under-23s will be spearheaded by manager Adam Roach and his assistants Stuart Davis and Gary Sherwin while the reserve team will have Paul Goodman at the helm with Steve Dickens and Derrin Brindley making up the rest of the coaching department.
Both sides will start training next week.
“From a first-team perspective, it will massively help because fundamentally, Ben’s on his own at the minute, he’s got no resource to pull from,” admitted Churcher.
“We’ve got a phenomenal youth set-up, with loads of sides, but there’s no real exit route currently other than the first team.
“By getting in a reserves and a 23s, with the first team as well, we should hopefully see greater progression.”
Churcher also stated that it is ‘very positive and exciting’ to see familiar faces making a return.
Goodman is a former Rovers first-team manager who has won trophies with the club, and was heavily involved with The Hamlet Croft, their former home, while Dickens is an ex-Rovers player.
“I want to reconnect with and bring ex-players back. I think it will help for the progression at the club,” said Churcher.
“There’s lots of plans happening in the background, Ben knows what he’s got to do next season.
“Promotion is what we’ll be looking for, we want to push, but it’s a project, it’s a work in progress, we’re a new committee who took over last year.
“We obviously had another management change (during the season), which I think in fairness has caused the club real problems over the last four or five years with constant management changes.
“We’ve got a plan with Ben in place and we’re all pulling in the same direction to get the club where it should be.”
Meanwhile, Rovers’ Thurlow Nunn League First Division North campaign ended in defeat as they suffered a 4-1 loss at FC Peterborough on Wednesday night.
Cowling’s side did take the lead through Ryan Twinn but Rovers shipped four to finish the season 10th in the standings.
The defeat followed their impressive 7-1 hammering of visiting Norwich CBS on Saturday where Callum Harrison (2), Jordan Baker, Reece Clarke, Joshua Evans, Jacob Moule and Casey Phillips ensured Rovers finished their season at The New Croft with a flurry.
