Hadleigh appoint Brown as Crawford’s successor

Hadleigh United have announced caretaker manager Ian Brown, the club’s first-team coach, has accepted the role of becoming the reigning Thurlow Nunn League champions’ new boss.

Brown accepted the vacant post at the Millfield following a committee meeting on Thursday night, with the club making an announcement about picking Brown for the role, as predicted in Thursday’s Suffolk Free Press, on Friday night.

It sees Brown resume a manager role for the first time since leading Whitton United to second in the Thurlow Nunn First Division and lift the Suffolk Senior Cup in 2010/11, having been first-team coach at AFC Sudbury under both Chris Tracey and David Batch in the intervening period.

A statement released by chairman Rolf Beggerow, read: “On behalf of Hadleigh United FC I am pleased to announce the appointment of Ian Brown as first-team manager. Ian will be assisted by Alan Dilloway.

“The committee considered a good number of applications for the position, and decided that in Ian and ‘Dilly’ we have a management team that will provide both stability in the short-term, and the experience and ideas to support the club’s vision to progress in the medium-to-long-term.

“Ian brings to the club a wealth of experience in developing young players and that was a key factor in our decision.

“The club has a very strong youth section with teams at every age from under-9.

“We already have several of our under-16s getting experience of playing for the under-18s and many under-18s playing for our senior reserves.”

It added: “We look to Ian to work closely with the these teams and to put in place a development structure that will provide the best possible opportunities for our young players to progress through to first-team football.

“At the same time the club is also focused on maintaining their status as a top Eastern Counties Premier side and plans for the necessary ground improvements, to support a step up, are now in place for development to start at the end of the current season.”

Hadleigh were without a game at the weekend, having been knocked out of the FA Vase, but won their last game 6-0 at home to FC Clacton, under the guidance of caretakers Brown and Dilloway.

The pair’s first game in charge, following Crawford’s resignation, saw them thrashed 5-0 at league leaders Norwich United.